Mine, All Mine

by Dayna Quince

  “Where do ye meet ‘im next?”

  “Don’t know yet, ’e always sends a little beggar to tell me right before.”

  “Well, let’s get it over wit’ then.” The two men left toward the exit to the main hall. Dominic wasted no time and quickly darted out of the house.

  After reaching the manor, Dominic woke only the necessary staff to ready a carriage and pack his belongings. He instructed a frazzled Mrs. Fields to pack up Millie’s belongings.

  “But my lord,” she cried, “there is no one but the gamekeeper and master gardener in residence. Who will tend to your needs? The staff is skeletal!”

  “I will expect you and a few other discreet employees to follow tomorrow. Do you understand me, Mrs. Fields?”

  Mrs. Fields looked anxiously between Dominic and a very angry cook’s assistant. “I understand, my lord.” She curtsied and walked away.

  The carriage was brought around and baggage hastily loaded. Lilly was unceremoniously tossed inside, followed closely by Dominic. They sat on opposite seats, never meeting each other’s gaze, even as the coach began to roll laboriously down the street.

  So many infuriating questions ran through Dominic’s head at once, he didn’t know where to begin his interrogation. Besides the obvious revelation, which his mind still didn’t want to believe, he needed to know how involved this girl was with her stepfather.

  “What’s your name?” he asked.

  Silence.

  “See what happens if you incite my anger, I beg you.”

  “Millie James, my lord.” Her gaze never moved from the window.

  She squeaked as she was hauled from her seat and roughly plopped onto his lap. He framed her jaw in one hand and forced her to look into his eyes.

  “Don’t play games with your life.”

  “Lillian St. James, my lord,” she finally said, tearing herself away from his iron grip.

  Her eyes were bright with unshed tears. She startled Dominic when she buried her face in her hands and began to sob uncontrollably in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, unsure of what to do, but unable to stop himself from comforting her. Her whole body shook with the force of her sobs, each one like a blow to his stomach. He didn’t know what to do or say, so just held her until, surprisingly, she became limp in his arms and he realized she had fallen asleep.

  Chapter 8

  Dominic held her for a long time, allowing the rocking of the carriage to quiet his mind. He wasn’t even sure why he wanted to suddenly leave for the country, but in retrospect, it was a brilliant idea. Remembering the conversation he and Lilly had overheard confirmed that while in the city she was in danger, even when she was on his property. Her stepfather was still in London and would stoop to any level to find out what Lilly had or what she knew. But what was it? Information? Or the whereabouts of the necklace?

  Either way, the need to protect her at all costs was an emotion Dominic could not suppress. He looked down at her, but all he could see was the soft curve of her cheek and her slender neck. Her body was completely relaxed, and he could feel the steady rise and fall of her chest against his side. It was going to be a long night. Images of her soft and supple body began to invade his brain. She had felt so alive and passionate before, but now she was no longer a maid he could seduce into becoming his mistress. She was a duke’s daughter, scorned by society, but still a lady of noble birth and blood. What would happen to her now?

  As the first streaks of dawn began to color the sky, Dominic woke and instructed the driver to find the nearest inn to stop and rest. Lilly woke while he carried her across the deserted courtyard of the Hunter and Fox. She flinched in alarm until Dominic shushed her and pulled her closer to whisper in her ear.

  “Pull your cloak over your face. I don’t want the innkeeper or anyone else to possibly recognize you.”

  “What are you planning to do with me?” she whispered back.

  “Relax, Lilly, I’m just getting us some rooms under the guise of a married couple so we, and my servants, can get some decent rest. Is that so awful?”

  She shook her head. She looked so innocent and sweet looking up at him. Her eyes were soft and dreamy from sleep, and he could feel himself melting into them. The spell was broken when the innkeeper opened the door to wave them inside. Dominic hadn’t realized he had stopped walking entirely and was just standing there looking at her.

  He cursed himself as he began to walk again to the inn. He was acting like a lovesick ass, and he hated it. “Close your eyes and pretend you’re asleep,” he said to Lilly before they were in earshot of the innkeeper. She did as told and Dominic was glad not to have her watching him anymore. Heaven forbid she even get one whiff of his physical state over her; she’d be running for the hills.

  “Your rooms are ready, my lord.” The innkeeper smiled warmly.

  “Thank you, Bart,” Dominic whispered.

  Dominic carried Lilly up the flight of stairs to the usual rooms he kept when traveling. They were the largest and overlooked the back rose garden that the innkeeper’s wife worked so hard to maintain. Once inside the room with the door closed, he set Lilly down and she walked to the window. The tension was palpable, and it was more than Dominic’s nerves could handle, as exhausted as he was.

  “What are you going to do with me?” Lilly asked from the window.

  “Lady Lillian,” he began in his most diplomatic voice, “the sole purpose of this stop is to allow us and my servants some much-needed rest before moving on to Windcrest, my ancestral home.”

  “Windcrest?” she asked timidly, only now turning from the window and beginning to look around the soft, cozy interior of the room. “But what will happen to me, Lord Redwick? I know you were looking for me and investigating Mr. Hollow, but what I don’t understand is why you took me here and not to New Gate prison?”

  “I’m trying to protect you,” he said in irritation. He wanted to sleep not bicker with her.

  “Protect me from what? Never mind, I know that answer, but I also need protection from you. I have been kidnapped, and if not for prison then for what? Why am I here?”

  “You are here, Lady Lillian”—Dominic was beginning to lose his temper again—“because you are not able to care for and protect yourself. Therefore, I have removed you from the threats of London to reside safely and anonymously in my own residence. You’re welcome.”

  “Just how safe can I expect to feel, my lord, when I am under the same roof as you?” She put her hands on her hips and raised one of her eyebrows.

  “You will certainly be safer than when you are traipsing around London at midnight, burglarizing homes presently occupied by people trying to kill you. You will be kept under my roof and questioned every day until you give me what I want.”

  “Well if that isn’t a double entendre…” Lilly murmured.

  “I heard that. I want information from you. Until I am satisfied that you have given me everything you know, and I deem it safe, you will remain under my protection. Whether you choose to act like a guest or a prisoner is up to you. Just try to act with a little more maturity if you please.”

  “How dare you,” she snapped at him. “You can’t keep me here like some criminal.”

  “I dare say I can, for in the eyes of the London authorities you are just as guilty as your stepfather.”

  “You can’t treat me this way. I have been on my own since day one of this charade, and I have managed to stay alive. I don’t need some high-handed, arrogant lord to give me protection.” She fumed. “I know exactly what kind of protection I can expect from you, my lord, and I am not about to give up anything more than I’ve already lost.”

  Dominic stepped forward, bringing them nearly nose-to-nose. “You insult my honor, Lady Lillian. If you are not going to cooperate willingly, you leave me no choice but to treat you as the victimized prisoner you claim to be. I am the last hope you have to regain your former life, so I suggest you take a liking to me. You have no one else to turn to.”

&nb
sp; “That’s not true.”

  “Chance can’t help you!” Dominic suddenly bellowed. He paused, regained control of his temper, and then began again in a quiet but steely voice. “And by involving him you will only make him look guilty as well. I am an agent of the crown and you’re only hope. Only I can save you.”

  Lilly was speechless as she watched Lord Redwick leave the room and lock the door behind him. Was it true? Did she endanger Chance by asking for his help? She would never forgive herself if he were hurt in any way by her actions. Turning toward the large bay window looking over the garden, Lilly sighed with despair. What would she do if her last and only friend was hurt? What Lord Redwick had said, though Lilly loathed to admit it, was right. Only he could save her, if indeed she could be saved at all. If, by using him, she could protect Chance from any and all suspicion, then that was what Lilly would do. She would not bring any more innocent people into her nightmare.

  Lilly walked to the bed and collapsed onto the soft coverlet. Sleeping in the carriage had been noisy and uncomfortable, although she couldn’t help but remember the warm body she had snuggled against and the masculine scent that was his alone. It had been oddly soothing. Lilly blushed furiously at the memories. Accept his help she might, but she would not succumb to Lord Redwick’s charms again. Hopefully now that he knew her true identity, he would act like a gentleman and not try to seduce her.

  She nestled deeper into the bedding and closed her eyes against the bright morning sunlight. Hope was a feeling Lilly could barely recognize, but lately it was all she had. She hoped he would not try because she had no chance against him. It was those eyes, and the strength he exuded, that made her feel safe. She hadn’t felt safe in a very long time. It was odd that she found such comfort in him when she had so much she needed to keep from him.

  Especially her heart.

  Dominic entered the room half an hour later, expecting to find his self-proclaimed captive pacing the floor and not sleeping. Thank God, he was wrong. She looked like a fallen angel sprawled out in exhaustion on the bed, but Dominic couldn’t help remembering her very mortal soft curves in his arms and soft lips caressing his. How tempting it would be to hold her while she slept. He knew without a doubt she would not accept such attentions from him. Dominic had to remind himself that she was no longer his siren in the kitchen, but indeed a lady of noble birth that deserved nothing but his most gentlemanly attentions, difficult as that may be.

  To have the lovely Lady Lillian all to himself would mean serious consequences. Was Dominic ready for a wife? The mere thought of it was baffling, but how long could he ignore such sensual beauty? He had to keep his distance; he had to persevere and maintain a polite indifference, lest she really find out how he felt about her. Never in his life had a woman disrupted his life so thoroughly. She was under his skin, in his blood, always circling in the back of his mind, tempting him away from his duties and mounting responsibilities. This new life was proving to be almost as exhausting as his old life—except these days he seemed to be living in a perpetual state of arousal, which had never plagued him in the past. This slip of a woman had turned his life upside down, and yet he could not imagine living without her. Couldn’t imagine having not met her and going through with the rest of his life in blissful ignorance. Would he have felt the absence of her? Felt there was something missing?

  Christ almighty, he couldn’t bear to listen to his own thoughts anymore. Even his own mind was entranced by her. It was as if he were a boy of fourteen again, straining at the breeches for a glimpse of the vicar’s daughter. Either the lust was driving him insane, or his brain was too exhausted to think rationally. He looked at her, sleeping peacefully on the bed, unaware of him—the wolf that prowled in the room. He idly stepped closer, admiring the slope of her derriere before pulling the coverlet over her. She was innocent after all, and Dominic was not a monster. He could do it—he could hold himself in check and never do anything she didn’t ask him to do. Tempting though she was, he respected her and cared more for her than he ought to, which cooled his blood just enough to turn his back on her sleeping form and find some much-needed rest of his own. Though it grated against his rakish ways, Dominic chose the safer path and reclined in the soft, worn upholstered chair by the fireplace.

  Chapter 9

  Chance’s carriage parted the morning fog like a ship cleaving water. The sun had barely risen before he set out toward Dominic’s residence, hopefully early enough to sneak Lilly away without raising any suspicion or alerting her master. His coachmen pulled up behind the manor in a deserted alleyway. Blowing his hot breath into his gloves, Chance hopped down from the carriage and made his way to the front street.

  He knew he was taking a huge risk. He was putting his own neck on the line, and Lilly’s as well, but he couldn’t see any other way of helping her. She couldn’t stay in Dominic’s residence any longer, not after the way Dominic acted last night. He was too interested, and not in just where she had come from. From the moment Chance had met Lilly, beneath the hopeful sparkle of their parents’ eyes and glittering chandeliers, he knew she was different. She had the confidence and grace of a duchess, and yet she was so easy to talk to, easy to laugh with. She was also uniquely beautiful, with a ready smile and charm that drew men for miles. Everyone except Chance.

  He was not blind to her charms, just not as affected as others. Instead, he enjoyed her laughter, enjoyed the wall of protection her presence provided from the desperate mamas, and enjoyed her thoughtful expressions. She was like a funny little sister always pointing out his insecurities and arrogance, but liking him all the same. He could not desert her now and leave her to whatever fate would befall her. Being the son of a duke had to count for something, so he might as well do whatever he could and hope whatever troubles they fell into wouldn’t be too much for his father to smooth over.

  Chanced hailed a street urchin and told him to deliver a note to the manor kitchen. The boy quickly returned with note in hand. “I’m sorry, my lord, the old codger who answered said yer lady friend ain’t there no more.”

  “What?” Chance bellowed. He tossed the boy a coin and went to bang on the kitchen door himself. When he knocked on the door, a bright-eyed young brunette poked her head out.

  “Where is Millie?” Chance asked angrily.

  The girl’s eyes widened in fear, but then she surprised him by stepping outside with him, closing the door behind her, and pulling him around the side of the manor.

  “I don’t know, my lord. All seemed well last night until his lordship burst in after midnight with Miss Millie in tow and demanded a carriage. They left together, both lookin’ mighty angry. Then this morning, Mrs. Fields tells us to pack some things for the country and to keep real quiet about it too.”

  “Damn him. He knows.” Chance turned away and cursed under his breath. He turned back to the maid. “Why are you telling me all this, despite explicit instruction not to do so?”

  “Well, you’ve always been real kind when you come around, and well, Millie was my friend. I don’t want anything to happen to her. Could you help her?”

  “I hope so.” Chance ground his teeth in frustration.

  “My lord?” Laura asked timidly. “You aren’t the only man who come lookin’ for Millie this morning.” Laura cowered as he turned to face her again.

  “Who else? Someone like me—a gentleman?”

  “No, he was no good. He was rough lookin’ and nearly scared Bertha and me out of our wits. He kept demanding to see Millie but wouldn’t call her by name…as if he didn’t know it. He was definitely a criminal sort. He looked like he wanted to hurt us.” Laura shuddered visibly.

  “Thank you for telling me. If he comes around here again, don’t hesitate to call the watch,” Chance warned. “I will find Millie and keep her safe.”

  “Yes, my lord.” Laura returned to the kitchens as Chance retreated to his carriage.

  As it began to amble home, he thought over all that had happened. He worried for L
illy’s safety with Dominic, but if someone else was looking for her, someone dangerous, then perhaps Lilly was right where she should be. Dominic could be extremely dangerous too, and her safety would be his top priority. He would know how to protect her. But who was this unidentifiable man. An associate of Mr. Hollow? Possibly, and an unpredictable one at that.

  By the time his carriage pulled up in front of his residence, Chance had devised a plan. He would set up a watch on Dominic’s townhouse, and if the stranger returned, he would have his man follow him, possibly leading them to Mr. Hollow.

  Chance descended from the carriage and noticed two cloaked women sitting on the steps. As he approached, they both stood, their cloaks parting to reveal their maid uniforms.

  “May I help you young ladies?” he asked curiously.

  A petite blonde stepped forward and curtsied. “Our mistresses are awaiting you across the street, my lord.” She indicated an unmarked black carriage parked across the thoroughfare. Chance strode across the street, slowing as the carriage door was flung open and a raven-haired young woman nearly leaped out, her emerald eyes sparkling with tears.

  It was Olivia Brentton, a close friend of his and Lilly’s since their early days in society. Her dark and brooding older brother Devon, Lord Wilhelm, followed closely behind her, trying to prevent her from falling.

  “Lady Olivia, Devon.” Chance nodded.

  “Oh Chance, I don’t know what to do.” She sobbed as her brother grabbed her arm tightly to keep her from collapsing in the street.

  “What’s wrong, Olivia?” Chance said quietly. He didn’t want to be heard addressing her so informally in such a public area.

  “Perhaps we should go inside,” Devon suggested.

  “No,” a voice from inside the carriage said before a blonde head peeked out. It was Lydia Covington, another of Lilly’s closest friends. “It’s too dangerous. We should circle the park while we talk.”