Hold Your Breath 01 - Stone Devil Duke

by K. J. Jackson

  “It is not right.”

  She glanced up at him. “What?”

  “That you had to handle this by yourself—and not just because you are a woman. Because you deserve better.”

  “I do?” Her eyebrows pulled together, questioning. “Really, Devin, what do you know of me? I could be an ogre of a woman. Why did you marry me? We have only known each other for a few days. You did not need to bring me to my uncle’s home the other night. You could have walked away. I would have been fine.”

  “I do not walk away from honor, Aggie. I married you because it was the only way to save you from yourself. And quite a bit more convenient than chasing you all over London.”

  Devin leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped. “Plus, truthfully, Aggie, I like you. And I don’t like a lot of people. Am I wrong in that you don’t find me too terrible as well?”

  She bit her lip, hesitating as she stared at him. “You are not wrong. But that is no reason to marry me.”

  “Would you rather I had done the dishonorable thing and dumped you unconscious at your back door?”

  “I was unconscious?”

  “Do you not remember?”

  “No. The last thing I remember is leaving the party. My aunt and uncle were not pleased with me after finding us in the gardens.”

  “Understandable. Your uncle clearly had never expected such wanton behavior from you.” Devin didn’t bother to hide the smile that crossed his face, remembering how her body had slid into his, throaty moans escaping her.

  A flush touched her cheeks, but she didn’t back away from his comment. “As unfortunate as the garden ended, I must admit I did enjoy it.” She stopped, suddenly embarrassed.

  “Did I just say that out loud?” Her hand flew to cover her mouth. “I am wanton. I am sorry, I am sure that is not what you are expecting in a wife. My sense of demureness has deserted me—I am afraid I have been in some undesirable areas these past months where propriety is nonexistent. My own lines of what is and is not respectable have wavered as a result.”

  Devin laughed. He couldn’t have imagined a better reaction from her. His hands moved forward, grabbing her knees through the plum folds of her skirts. “Stop. You never have to worry about properness with me, Aggie. I like that you are not reserved around me. I like that the front you put on wavers. I like that you are not afraid to admit what you like, what you want. I would be disappointed if you decided to change just because we married.”

  “Truly?”

  “Truly. I want you, Aggie, and I want you with whatever thoughts—wanton or not—are running through your mind. I never want you to curb yourself around me.”

  The side of her mouth lifted, a slow smile radiating across her face as she nodded in response.

  Devin sat back, leaning on the cushions, studying her. God, she was beautiful when she smiled. And her forehead. It wasn’t in the least scrunched. It was the first time he remembered seeing her without worry lines. Her face was at ease, and Devin had done that. He suddenly felt inordinately proud of himself.

  His eyes paused at a lock of hair that had been artfully curled down to cover the healing gash on her left temple. A shot of anger rolled through his chest.

  “How is your head?”

  Her hand flew up, flitting with the hair in front of the wound. “It was beyond horrible this morning but does not pain too terribly anymore. What happened? How did I get it?”

  “When I found you, you had already taken down one of them.” Devin swallowed hard against the rage that overtook him at just remembering the scene.

  “I had?”

  He cleared his throat. “Yes, but one was advancing on you. The other had you, and he threw you at the wall. You hit it. Hard.”

  Her hand moved down from her temple. “Two of them…that meant the leader.”

  Devin nodded. “Yes. Most likely.” He clamped down on his next words.

  He knew he had to interrogate her about the fifth man, the leader. He and Killian had uncovered very little about who he was in the past day, and Aggie was the key to any new leads on finding him. But he couldn’t start the hundreds of questions he needed to ask her. Not at that moment.

  She looked peaceful, for a change, and though the worry lines hinted at reappearing across her forehead, he could stop them if he just held his questions. Tonight. He would ask her tonight.

  “I had hoped to hide it, the cut, from my sister this morning, but she has uncanny skills of observation. She saw it.”

  “You sat with her for some time this morning after the wedding.”

  “Yes, thank you for the time with her. She was quite worried about me. She is still so young and has lost so much.” Aggie smiled at him. “She did think you very handsome. Though possibly a bit too tall.”

  “Too tall?”

  “Yes, she wondered how I would stop my neck from hurting at looking up at you.”

  “Really?”

  “She is nine.” Aggie shrugged. “And you must look like a giant to her. But again, remember, she thought you at least a dashing giant.”

  “It is too bad your mother was too ill to come to the wedding.” Devin watched with interest the lightning quick change in Aggie’s demeanor at mention of her mother. As much as her eyes glowed when talking of her sister, they became equally guarded at mention of her mother.

  “Yes, I missed her. But I did talk to her when we stopped by our house to pack a few things.”

  “Is your mother often ill?”

  “She…”

  Aggie’s voice trailed off, and Devin could see her searching for the right words.

  “People get sick, Aggie. It is all right to talk about it.”

  “Yes. It is just that she is…physically fine. It is her mind. After father died, she shut herself off, both emotionally and physically, from the world…from us. She has not said a coherent sentence in the past year.”

  Devin’s eyes narrowed. “Which has left you to take care of everything, including your sister.”

  “Please, no, Devin. I did not want to tell you, because I did not want that look on your face. Please do not judge her. She is my mother, and I love her dearly.”

  Devin tilted his head, startled. He should have guessed her fierce loyalty would rear. “I apologize. I meant no disrespect.”

  “Thank you for understanding.” A bright smile slipped onto her face to cover whatever she harbored. “Do you plan on us being at Stonewell for long? Or will we be back to London soon?”

  “It depends.” A perfect opening to pepper Aggie with questions about her assailants, but Devin resisted. Normal conversation with Aggie was delightful. Plus, she admitted he was handsome—or at least didn’t argue with her sister’s assessment. Something he rather enjoyed. “Why?”

  “My sister and mother. I know they will be fine with my aunt and uncle, but I am hoping they may join us at Stonewell if we will be there for an extended period. I am still responsible for them, and I know my aunt and uncle had hoped to get back to their travels soon. After an appropriate time period, and with your approval, of course.”

  “If that would make you happy, and ease your worry, then of course they may join us.”

  The smile Aggie rewarded him with beamed so brightly, Devin’s breath caught.

  He had no idea that could even happen.

  { Chapter 10 }

  Out the carriage window, the hazy sun fell behind distant trees, and Aggie stared at the orange glow through cracked eyes, trying to right her mind after waking. That she had fallen asleep in the jostling carriage was evidence of her continued exhaustion. It had taken a hard jolt, knocking her head clear through the cushion to the wood frame, to wake her.

  She concentrated on the bobbing, fiery orb.

  Carriage. Countryside. Marriage. Devin.

  The avalanche of the morning’s events swept her mind and shocked her upright, eyes wide as she remembered Devin sitting across from her. A slight smile tilted the right side of his face, now slight
ly darkened with evening stubble.

  The swing of the carriage slowed, and the last of Aggie’s grogginess disappeared.

  “Are we stopping?” She leaned forward to search their surroundings, relaxing as she realized they were turning to enter a stately drive.

  Aggie moved closer to the carriage window to gain a new vantage as the wheels crunched over granite gravel. After a few minutes, wide-open space appeared. Flat, immaculate lawns rolled in all directions from an enormous, grey brick home. Double wings disappeared behind the main hall, and Aggie could see the late-sun glimmer on a glass dome protruding from the roof above the entrance. By its elaborateness and proximity to London, the home was obviously used not only for entertaining, but for impressing as well.

  “This is Lord Southfork’s home?” Aggie asked. Devin had mentioned earlier they would be spending the night at his friend’s home.

  “Yes, but Killian will not be here, nor any other guests at the moment. Just us,” Devin said as the carriage came to a gentle stop in front of the arched double mahogany doors. The footman let the stairs down and Devin exited, extending his hand to assist Aggie.

  “That is regrettable. I would have liked to have been properly introduced to Lord Southfork.” Aggie stepped out of the carriage, still looking up at the magnificent home. “From what I have gathered, he is a true friend to you.”

  Aggie looked over to her new husband, only to see a pained expression cross his face.

  “Oh, I am sorry, I must be wrong about Lord Southfork?”

  “Aggie, dearest,” Devin’s voice was gentle—too gentle—as he guided her up the marble stairs, “you were introduced to him.”

  Aggie stopped on the top step, staring blankly at Devin. She searched her mind for an introduction with the man, but nothing appeared. She shook her head.

  “At our wedding this morning.”

  “What?” A horrified look crept across her face. “Really?”

  Devin nodded.

  “No. I…blazes…I do not remember meeting him.” Frozen in mortification, she looked at Devin, voice turning meek. “Was I horribly rude to him? I am afraid I was not contained enough to be polite this morning.”

  “Not to fear. You were a complete lady. I was surprised myself at how composed you were.”

  “You, my grace, are a liar.” Aggie chuckled, leaning in and grabbing his arm. “Now tell me what I really did.”

  “If you must know, you stared right through him as though he were invisible. Said nothing. Not even a nod. All told, you did not even look up at him, just his chest. Then you shuffled away.”

  “No.” She leaned away, face falling, but her fingers stayed on Devin’s arm, gripping. “I could not have done such a thing.”

  “Yes, you could, and you did.” Devin shrugged with a wicked smile. “It made me laugh, though. His face was priceless. Killian takes great pride in his charm with the ladies. So it was nice to see my new wife is immune to his allure.”

  “Your enjoyment aside, rudeness is not how I wanted to conduct myself with such a respected friend of yours.”

  “No need for mortification, Aggie. Killian can be far from respectable. You will recall he is privy to the whole situation, so I am positive he was not offended.”

  Aggie dropped her hand from his arm, taking a step to the door. “I can see that, in your own way, you are trying your best to soften this for me, but I am going to be mortified nonetheless.”

  Devin didn’t let her escape, and grabbed her hand, resettling it back onto his forearm. “Fine, you can remain mortified, but you will have plenty of chances to rectify your poor showing today and make friends with Killian in the future. Already in your favor, he is a big fan of your hackney skills.”

  Devin flashed her another wicked smile, and Aggie didn’t bother to suppress a groan as he pulled her in through the doors.

  Her eyes swept across the grand three-story entry. Built to impress with its glass dome above, it did its job well. “Lord Southfork’s home is beautiful. Have you two been friends for many years? Where did you meet him?”

  Devin guided Aggie deeper into the house, past the grand curving staircase. “The war. We were both there, in the thick of it, for different reasons, but at the core, it was the same reason.”

  “Which was?”

  “To disappear. And at first we hated each other for a long time.”

  Aggie stopped and looked up at Devin. “Hated each other? Really? I never would have guessed. I have heard nothing but respect in your voice when you talk of him. What changed?”

  “He saved my life. Twice. The first time was an accident.” A half-smile crossed his face. “The second time was on purpose. After that, I had little choice but to make him my friend. One of the smartest things I ever did.”

  ~~~

  Courtesy of orders sent ahead by Killian, a small dinner awaited them. As she savored a tender morsel of duck, Aggie determined Killian had very high demands of the wine and food served in his home.

  Devin had wanted to eat right away, so she hadn’t bothered to change out of her travelling dress. But she did have just enough time before the meal to pull the ribbons and some of the pins out of her hair, and that alone had lessened the headache that still floated from spot to spot on her skull.

  Another bite of duck melting on her tongue, she looked above the low candlelight at her husband.

  Husband. She kept saying that to herself, but it was still hard to believe.

  Days ago, she was tucking pistols into her cloak, roaming the streets of London, dirty and tired, and looking to kill—but somehow, she had ended up here, without thought or plan.

  Here, sitting across from a man that she not only liked, but was also quickly becoming overly attached to.

  Her chest tightened at the thought. Even though in her gut, she unequivocally trusted him, her mind had not caught up to her core. She still couldn’t quite place his intentions or his actions—mostly because she had spent the past year afraid and suspicious of everything, and it was hard to cut off those brutally learned emotions.

  Her breath caught as his grey eyes met hers. They were so sharp, like a hawk’s, and she wondered if he really knew all that was going on in her mind, or if he just looked that way. His was not the sweet handsome that fills little girls’ dreams. Not at all. His was a hard handsome—cutting cheekbones, dangerous jawline, muscles that were not in the slightest soft.

  Lethal. That’s what he was. She had seen that more than once. And he didn’t show the slightest reservation in being so. A lethalness that should, by all rights, scare her. But it didn’t. It only made her feel safe. Even when he kissed her.

  But then his hawk eyes moved off of her and he appeared to be avoiding her eyes. He seemed to be waffling about something he wanted to say, mouth opening and closing.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “You have something you either want to ask, or want to tell me.”

  His eyebrow rose, and his fork went down. “That obvious?”

  “Just a guess. I have not seen you look like this before.” She smiled, teasing. “You do not tend to hesitate when it comes to making demands on me.”

  The smile was not returned; instead, Devin looked down at his plate, then pushed it forward away from him. He looked up at her, grey eyes holding no hint of amusement.

  “Aggie, about the other night, did you see the man who attacked you?” His voice stayed very even, and a flicker of panic went down Aggie’s spine, turned into her body, and settled in her gut.

  Aggie’s duck-skewered fork paused mid-air.

  “Devin, you killed that man.”

  “No, I mean the man who was holding you.”

  “Why would you ask?”

  Devin’s mouth pulled back in a tight, silent line.

  “Why…” Her fork clattered to her plate. “You don’t mean…No…You mean that man is still…alive?”

  Devin nodded.

  Aggie’s hands went to the e
dge of the table, gripping, holding her upright as her chest clamped down and breathing stopped. “I thought…I mean I had…I believed you had killed…He is still alive?”

  Aggie could feel her face begin to sag as the blood rushed out of it. She fought to take in breath, her lungs only allowing short, tight gasps to enter. No. He had to be dead.

  “Aggie, I am sorry. I thought you knew. I should have guessed, you were so relaxed today. He threw you against the brick and ran off, and I could not leave you, so he escaped.”

  “And you have not found him?” The best Aggie could produce was a cracking whisper.

  “No. Every lead has been exhausted. You hold the only clues. I did not want to have to bring him up. I actually want you to never have to think of him again, but I have to know everything that you know of him.”

  “Damn.” In an instant, the clamp on her breath blew, and Aggie jerked to her feet, pushing away from the table. “Damn to hell and back. So stupid. I should have known. I should have thought. Stupid.”

  She stalked to the edge of the room, pacing the dark wood floors in front of the fireplace, arms clasped tight around her belly. “It only makes sense. Of course he is still alive. I am so stupid. What was I thinking? I never should have let you help. Never should have gotten involved. Stupid and weak.”

  Her right arm swung wide as she spun on her heel, her fist coming back and hitting her upper arm. “Why did I do that? Weak. What was I thinking? Such idiocy. This never should have happened. I should have finished what I set out to do and not let anything stop me.”

  Eyes on the floor, her fist continued to pummel her own arm. “I am such an idiot to have let this happen. Damn. Weak. So damn weak and now he is still out there and—hell—my sister.” Panic swelled her voice. Her eyes flew up. “Devin, I have to get back to London. My family—”

  Devin stood, voice hard, hand up to stop her. “No. They are well-protected. No one is coming or going from your uncle’s home until the fifth man has been disposed of. There has been no indication that these men want anything to do with your mother and sister, and as long as you are alive, this fifth man seems to want you for some reason. They have had plenty of opportunities to get to your mother or sister, but have not. I have talked to every man you hired. He wants you, Aggie. You. And the best place to protect you is at Stonewell. The best place to protect them is at your aunt and uncle’s. That is what will happen. I will not argue this, Aggie.”