Hold Your Breath 01 - Stone Devil Duke

by K. J. Jackson

  Her eyes widened at his use of her name. Damn. He knew too much. Of course he did. He was a blasted duke. He knew whatever the hell he wanted. She took a step backward, hand falling from his arm, only to feel the iron railing press into her backside.

  “But you are also wagering that I bear resemblance to the majority of men in society.” He closed the space she had just maneuvered. “Unfortunately, my lady, you must know little or nothing of my reputation if you decided so quickly on such a useless tactic.”

  “Useless?” Aggie forced the word out through a choke.

  The throbbing that had, until now, been constant along his jaw, disappeared into a smile. “You see, I simply do not care. I would give absolutely nothing to have society deem me an acceptable gentleman. In fact, I rather enjoy my notorious reputation in society—it keeps the wrong people away.”

  Aggie’s shoulders slumped. “Such as young girls looking for a husband?”

  “Precisely, Lady Augustine.”

  “Your grace—”

  “Call me Devin.”

  “Your grace, I do not know you well enough for such an intimacy.”

  “You will.”

  He was too close, too overbearing for Aggie to create even the simplest thought. She looked over her shoulder, searching for air. She needed space before she crumbled to anything he demanded of her.

  Aggie lifted her hand, her gloved fingers landing lightly on his chest. Completely improper, but she was stuck. Not meeting his eyes, she pushed gently, knowing she couldn’t move him, but had to try. “Please, your grace, just a step.” Her eyes met his. “Please.”

  To Aggie’s surprise, he gave her one reverse step. It was enough.

  The duke’s eyes pinned her. He gave her space, but not a moment to catch her breath.

  “Your brother. He is presumed dead?”

  “My brother?” The topic switch snapped Aggie’s mind back into working order. “No. My brother is presumed missing. Unreachable. Not dead. Whatever you have heard, it is not true. We received a letter from him months ago.”

  “Does he not know about your father? That the title is now his?”

  Aggie shook her head. “Messages have been sent. We are awaiting his return.”

  The duke’s eyes swept her face. Aggie swallowed at his look. He didn’t believe her. But why should he? She was lying.

  Aggie pasted a smile on her face. He had taken her over in one breath, and if she was going to get out of this, she couldn’t let him control the conversation. “Your grace, I do believe I must be contrary to your statements about the importance of your reputation in society. I understand you are a close friend, and an even closer business associate of the Marquess of Southfork.”

  His left eyebrow lifted in surprise. She looked up at him, letting the challenge reflect on her face as her mind whipped through all the tidbits of gossip she had heard earlier about the duke. Why hadn’t she paid closer attention?

  “What do you know of Lord Southfork?”

  “I know you are helping him gain power and money in society. I know that the men you need to impress to gain investment with, will, unfortunately, not take very kindly to a coward.” She inwardly cringed at her own words, but she had to say it once more. Options were limited.

  His jaw began to throb again. And he took back the step of space he had just given her. “Yes, Lady Augustine, you are correct about my situation with Lord Southfork. But you underestimate me if you believe that ultimately, I would not sacrifice my good friend’s advancement in society, if it meant utilizing an opportunity to glorify the notorious reputation that I have worked so hard to earn. Killian will do fine, with or without my prodding of select gentleman.”

  He glared at her, assessing. “You, my dear, have much more to lose if I let it slip about last night’s activities. And we both know it.”

  The duke paused, letting his threat sink in.

  Aggie couldn’t control a slight squirm as she stared up at the man. Damn him. There was no escape, and she had just led him to where she didn’t want to go. What she didn’t want to acknowledge. Of course he could ruin her. Ruin her plans.

  His grey eyes flickered at her, and she was suddenly struck by the fact that he was a very handsome man. She hadn’t slowed enough in her dealings with him last night to actually notice the fact, but there it was. Lording over her.

  But he was also completely overbearing. And the worst sort of threat to her plans. One word to her uncle, and she would be shipped out of London back to the countryside, a sitting duck to be gunned down.

  It was now obvious that she could not back him into a corner of compromise to stay silent about her nightly activities. A new approach would have to be employed if she was going to keep her nightly activities discrete.

  The easy half-smile came back to his face. He knew he had her cornered. “My lady, I must inquire, how did you come about my connection with Lord Southfork so quickly? I had believed that you knew not my identity, until just a few short moments ago.”

  “You are correct in all that you say, your grace. I have everything to lose, and you have nothing.” Even though it was the last thing she wanted to do, she conjured a sweet smile, nodding in acquiescence. Honesty was the only tactic she had left. “The information about you, well, you must have noticed it was no small stir you caused when you entered the ballroom—did you see the feathers above the crowd?”

  Aggie was rewarded with a full smile from the imposing duke. If he stretched it, it might have even turned into the smallest chuckle.

  “I knew all I could ever—or will ever—want to know about the Duke of Dunway within moments of your entrance.”

  The smile instantly left his face, storm clouds gathering in his eyes once more.

  The change startled her, and she knew she needed to clarify. “Although, I believe at least ninety-eight percent of the information could only be considered fabricated gossip. Lord Southfork happened to fall into the two percent of truth that was flying about.”

  “Interesting ratio.”

  “It is rarely off.” Aggie shrugged. “But you must understand, I need to request that we not be seen cavorting with each other.”

  “Some of the gossip scared you?”

  “What?” Her head tilted in slight shake. “Oh, the gossip. The Stone Devil, is that what they call you?”

  He blinked, almost stung, then a mask of indifference settled across his brow. “It is.”

  “Let me assure you, your grace, I am not concerned of your activities or of what people call you. I have met the devil, so you do little to frighten me.”

  “Then you would like to avoid me why?”

  “It is clear you know too much about me. That is a threat. And that will not do.”

  “You have no idea what I will do with my knowledge of you.”

  “Exactly. With only a few words to the wrong person, you could ruin my only chance at saving myself and my family.” Aggie looked away from his face at the nearest windows to the ballroom. “Beyond that, you are a dangerous man, your grace.”

  “Dangerous?”

  “You produced a pistol far too fast last night not to be dangerous. Your skill in how you fight. Your skill with a knife. How you look at me.” Aggie took a deep breath, eyes solemn as she looked up at him. There was nothing in those grey eyes that was good for her. “You are a dangerous man, your grace, and I have enough danger in my life at the moment.”

  He didn’t answer right away, instead, his fingers slipped around her left hand and he raised it, palm up. The knuckle of his forefinger went to her wrist at the edge of her short glove. He ran his knuckle up the long winding scar that curved around her arm, from wrist to elbow. The line of the pink, slightly raised skin had deterred many men from her dance card, but Aggie refused to cover it with long gloves, as her aunt often suggested. It was an easy test of character.

  “This looks recent.”

  The gesture, so small, so innocent, became entirely too intimate after a moment. Aggie
knew she needed to pull away from his fingertips, but could only do so slowly.

  “A riding accident. It causes no pain.”

  Not letting her escape the touch so quickly, the duke leaned in, the right side of his mouth lifted. “Do you not find your own work with a pistol dangerous?”

  “Of course it is. But I am a woman. And I do what I do because I have to. Because I have been forced into it. Not because I choose to.”

  “There is always a choice, Aggie.”

  Aggie bit her tongue. Not for her. She didn’t bother to argue. Her current state, what she had been forced to do, was something the duke could never understand.

  “Your grace, although your reputation does precede you, I have no indication that you are the sort of man who takes pleasure in ruining the reputations of innocent women.”

  He gave her an odd look at the word “innocent.”

  Aggie chose to ignore the look. “I must believe that you would gain nothing by allowing our little secret out—except to hurt me. As a gentleman…” She let her voice trail off, looking up at him. As much as it grinded her pride, she allowed him to see the hope in her face, her hands gripped tightly about her fan.

  His jaw suddenly flexed hard, and Aggie could see everything start to slip away.

  “I guess we will just have to wait to see if I am a gentleman or not. And how close your speculation hits to the truth.”

  His words were clipped. Meant to be final to her request.

  Still holding her breath, Aggie nodded. It was all he was going to give her.

  She turned to the railing to hide her disappointment, gripping it with both hands, letting her fan dangle from her wrist above the crawling rose bushes.

  “Your grace,” Aggie’s eyes were trained on the rooftop of the house on the other side of the courtyard, “there is one other point I mean to ask you about, for it doesn’t seem to accommodate the rest of the information I have heard about you.”

  “Yes?”

  “Why, your grace, did you attend this particular ball tonight?”

  She turned back toward him. “There is little economic or social advancement for your friend Lord Southfork to make in this crowd. You are rarely seen out except for that mission. I frankly, see no reason for you to be here—and I, of course, would rather our paths never cross again. So if I knew what drew you here tonight, I could make an extra effort to avoid it and any further passings between the two of us.”

  The duke’s eyes bored into her coolly, pausing before answering. Then he reached up to caress one of the tendrils that hung along her neck.

  Startled, Aggie tried to not react and move her head away. She had cowered enough tonight.

  He leaned down, mere inches away from her face, eyes locked on hers.

  “My dear Augustine, for all the knowledge you seem to possess of me, of the world, I am truly surprised you have yet to figure it out.” A thoughtful look crossed his hard features. “I am here for one thing, and one thing only. The answer, Aggie, is right under your nose.”

  Instinct sent Aggie’s eyes downward. Past the duke’s smartly tailored evening coat, only to land on the sight of a very pulsating, manly bulge, set off beautifully by the tight trousers he wore. Her eyes didn’t linger, instead, flashing up to his, then to her clasped hands, which had immediately moved up between them.

  “Ex…excuse me, your grace,” Aggie stuttered out. She tried to catch her breath as she wedged herself between his unmoving form and the lattice wall. “I really must be getting back to my aunt. Thank you for the pleasant…conversation.”

  Clear of him, she snatched back a bit of her control but could feel the scarlet in her cheeks. Her eyes went to the farthest reach of his jacket-clad shoulder. “I trust our secret of last night will stay a secret. It is the only gentlemanly thing to do, after all.”

  She shot him one last hopeful look, trying to minimize the embarrassed scrunch of her forehead. She couldn’t hold his gaze but for a second.

  Not allowing him time to utter a response, Aggie lifted up her light cream skirt and half ran, half groped her way around the side of the house back into the ball, making a straight line to the comfort of her aunt’s side.

  The duke’s bellowing laughter trailed her into the ballroom.

  { Chapter 5 }

  Halfway home in her aunt and uncle’s carriage, and Aggie had spent the entire time berating herself for her encounter with the Duke of Dunway.

  She had acted like a twit. He had acted like an ogre. Any man who would throw a silly thing like nightly excursions as a hack driver into a lady’s face, just didn’t deserve to be called a gentleman, she fumed. Completely uncalled for.

  After feigning a headache moments after returning to her aunt’s side, she escaped the ball. Hopefully, with any luck, that was the last time she would ever have to see the man. And if not…well, she’d already decided to forget the whole incident and pretend she had never met him.

  Aggie tuned in and out of her aunt and uncle’s chattering, looking out the carriage window at the dark sky. Clouds were thickening, wet fury building, and that meant another night of sopping wet clothes.

  She would do or suffer through anything to give herself peace when it came to her family’s safety. Even if it meant London streets full of wet, mushy filth. Too bad tracking down murderers didn’t allow for nights off.

  Her thoughts unwittingly landed back on the Duke of Dunway. Disgusted that he popped back into her thoughts so quickly, she gave herself a shake. He was a problem, she couldn’t deny it.

  The infuriating man could unveil her activities without the slightest glance back over his shoulder. One who could destroy her plans—much too easily and much too quickly.

  Sure, she was an oddity; she knew that. But she should have been inconsequential to a man with his considerable status and power—a hiccup in his life. Maybe he had forgotten their whole little scene on the balcony by now. And with luck, the inconvenience she had caused him the previous night in the street fight would also soon leave his mind.

  With even more luck, she would find her father’s other murderers tonight, and be done with the whole affair before he exposed her escapades.

  “Aggie dear, are you all right? You look a bit flushed and preoccupied,” her aunt said, worry evident in her brow. “Does your headache bother you overly much?”

  Aggie forced a smile. “No, Aunt Bea, I am fine, just a little tired. You saw me earlier, and I could not get back to sleep today.”

  “Well, no surprise after the last year you have had,” Uncle Howard said.

  “Hush, Howard, she does not need you bringing up old memories.”

  “Really, Aunt Bea, it is fine. Rarely an hour goes by that I do not think of all that has happened.”

  Sadness touched both of their eyes as they looked at her. Aggie knew they wanted her to move on from the past. They had wasted no time or expense in surrounding her with gaiety to lighten her mood, but they knew they were failing miserably.

  Aggie felt guilty that they had come back to town, leaving their travels, specifically to get Aggie out into society and hopefully find a suitable mate for her. Although she went to the functions with politeness, she never immersed herself in the fun, nor encouraged any man’s attentions. They wanted desperately to help her move on with life, and she could manage very little to help with that endeavor.

  “Oh, sweetie,” Aunt Beatrix said brightly, bursting into Aggie’s thoughts, “I was told, on good authority, that the Marquess of Southfork was inquiring about you tonight.”

  “The Marquess of Southfork?” Aggie hid the catch in her throat. “Do I know him?”

  “No, I do not believe so, but maybe you have seen him? Dark-blond hair, handsome—extremely dashing—on his way up in society.”

  Aggie shook her head. “I would pay no heed, Aunt Bea. Rumors. I am sure it was nothing.”

  Nothing except the duke finding a way to ruin her life, Aggie thought.

  “Oh, do not be so sure, sweetie. He
is quite the charming man. Wealthy and well-respected, too. Howard, you knew his father?”

  “Yes, yes, I do recall. Fine man, I remember. Sad ending though, I believe.”

  “Dribble on that, Howard. Anyway, Aggie, he was inquiring after you—we shall have to make certain to show up at some of the same functions as he over the next weeks.”

  “Really, there is no need to, Aunt Bea,” Aggie said “I am positive it was of no consequence.”

  “There is no use in disregarding this. It will hurt nothing to gain proximity to the gentleman—I will make plans immediately.”

  Aggie produced a smile for her aunt. Satisfied, Aunt Beatrix leaned back into the cushions, a plotting look on her face. Aggie had learned long ago it was much easier to just placate her aunt, rather than waste time in trying to dissuade her from a course she had already set on. And she had decided to get Aggie a husband. The coach fell silent again and Aggie returned to running through the checklist in her mind to get ready for the night.

  The carriage arrived at Aggie’s townhouse, and after promises that she would attend the Appleton party the next night, she escaped inside with no more talk of finding a husband.

  From the front window, she watched their carriage amble down the street, then continued quickly up to her room to change.

  At the door to her room, Aggie paused when she saw light spilling out from the crack under her mother’s doorway. A stab of hope went through her.

  Quietly, she went and opened the heavy door. She was greeted with her mother sitting in bed, her now grey hair hanging tangled around her face, staring at nothing, her hand monotonously patting her thigh over and over.

  Aggie swallowed hard and walked over to the single candle that was lit next to the bed, softly chattering to her mother about the beauty of the ball. There was no acknowledgement of Aggie’s presence.

  Aggie hid a sigh as she grabbed her mother’s shoulders and gently pushed her back onto the pillows. The arm stopped moving, but her mother’s face remained blank, eyes seeing nothing. Some days were better than others. But tonight her mother had slipped into her lost world.