Dance with Deception: Scandalous Secrets, Book 1 - Exclusive Edition (Scandalous Secrets - Exclusive Edition)

by Tracy Goodwin

  Silence entombed the small room.

  “Now, why this little tête-à-tête?” Tristan asked his sister.

  “I don’t know.” Gwen found her voice, grateful that Tristan had stayed. “I just arrived myself.”

  Only the tick-tock of the grandfather clock interrupted the forced hush that had again befallen them as Gwen’s father scrutinized her features. His face remained remote and foreboding, unnerving her.

  She took a deep breath and rose, addressing her father. “Excuse me for a moment.”

  Ignoring the man’s obvious discontent, Gwen crossed the study then stood in front of Sebastian. Her voice was no louder than a whisper, “If you’re here to save me from marrying Keir, you needn’t go any further with this—”

  “Don’t,” he whispered in warning. “Don’t tell me that you’re fulfilling your duty by marrying that—”

  “I’m not. Not marrying Keir, that is.” Gwen glanced over Sebastian’s shoulder. Her father’s expression conveyed she was running out of time. “My refusal is what I planned to further discuss with my father so you needn’t involve yourself or your sister in my mess.”

  Sebastian’s eyes danced with surprise. “You’re not marrying him?”

  “What are the two of you whispering about?” Lachlan roared.

  Sebastian turned toward Gwen’s father and brother who were gaping at them, their curiosity evident. His exasperated sigh conveyed that privacy was needed.

  He took Gwen’s hand and led her to the hallway. “Excuse us. We’ll just be a moment.”

  Lachlan jerked to his feet. “You’re not taking my daughter one inch out of this room unaccompanied.”

  “Wait here.” Sebastian muttered to Gwen as he released her hand. He then turned on his heel and walked to her brother, grabbing the back of Tristan’s coat then lifting him up off the sofa.

  “We won’t be alone,” he muttered over his shoulder as he thrust Tristan toward the door.

  “Ah, yes,” Tristan said, now catching on to the game. “I must be the chaperone.”

  Lachlan glared at his son. “Don’t leave them alone, Tristan!”

  “Yes, do not leave us alone, Tristan,” Sebastian growled before shutting the door behind them. He then grabbed Gwen’s hand, issuing his next edict over his shoulder as he led her away from the door. “Leave us alone, Tristan.”

  Tristan protested with a wry grin, “But you just said—”

  “Never mind that, just leave us!” Sebastian halted in mid-step, his annoyance apparent.

  Tristan reached for the door handle, in an apparent attempt to return to the study.

  Sebastian clasped his shoulder to stop him. “Not in there, man! Go somewhere else. I’ll get you when we’re done.”

  “Done with what precisely?” the younger man asked, his arms now crossed over his chest.

  An exacerbated sigh escaped Sebastian’s lips as he took Gwen’s hand again, leading her down the hallway.

  “Sebastian, where are we going?” she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

  He opened doors in search of a room where they could speak privately.

  “Sebastian?” Gwen dug her heels in.

  “Why is it that every door I open is a bedchamber?” he muttered under his breath.

  Tristan had followed them step for step. “That is a very good question, for you are not taking my sister into a bedchamber. That is not negotiable.”

  “Spoken like a true attorney,” Sebastian mumbled. He then added in frustration, “Don’t you have any rooms in this wing that aren’t bedchambers?”

  “Yes,” Tristan replied with a smirk. “We just left one, with my father fuming in it.”

  Sebastian expelled another breath before speaking. “This is wasting far too much time. You,” he said to Gwen, “come with me.” Then, pointing to a large window at the far end of the hall, Sebastian instructed Tristan, “We will be at this end of the hall, and you will be at that end of the hall. I need to speak with your sister in private.”

  “Oh, you need to speak with her. Ah, yes, well you had me worried there with all of the opening and closing of boudoir doors.” A lazy smile draped across his rugged features. It was evident that he was enjoying this too much for Sebastian’s sake.

  Sebastian narrowed his eyes in warning at the younger man’s antics then led Gwen to the far end of the hall. Upon reaching the large window, his grip softened and Gwen at long last enjoyed the prickly sensations that his touch always awakened in her. Just the night before, she’d believed that he would never touch her again, and now, he was holding her hand.

  “Sebastian, why are you here?” she dared ask.

  “Never mind that.” His tone was gentle. “What did you mean about not marrying Dunlop?”

  Gwen opened her mouth to respond but he interrupted her. “No, that’s not as important as your health. First tell me if you’re well.” He touched her cheek. “You look pale.”

  She leaned against the wall to steady herself. Deep worry lines etched his strong features and she longed to smooth them. Instead, she reassured him, “There’s no need for concern.”

  “I will always be concerned about you.” His words were rough with emotion.

  “Is that why you came here today?”

  “Yes.” His thumb caressed her cheek. “I considered it in your own best interest to marry the man you love, the same man who loves you to distraction.”

  Gwen grinned, “To distraction? I can’t think of anyone who I have distracted of late.”

  He stepped closer toward her and she could feel the heat emanating from his body. Her pulse quickened. “You can’t? Not even one?”

  “I never knew I distracted you.”

  Sebastian returned to his initial question. “Did you really decide against marrying Dunlop?”

  “Yes, I refuse to marry Keir and told my father last night though he believes I will be bullied into changing my mind. He is wrong.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “So you needn’t involve yourself or your sister. As I explained when we last spoke, this is my scandal, not yours.”

  He leaned to whisper in her ear, “I will gladly share everything, including scandal, with you.”

  Gwen drew back, her brown eyes beseeching him. “No, think of Victoria.”

  “What if I told you that I have a plan?” He ran his fingers up and down her spine. The motion made her skin tremble with excitement.

  “A plan?”

  Sebastian pressed his forehead against hers. Her whole body responded, tingling from his closeness, one that she never again thought she would experience.

  “Yes, even I can come up with a plausible plan from time to time.”

  She frowned. “Couldn’t you have come up with your plan a little earlier? Say two days earlier, before I broke both of our hearts?”

  “I wish I had.” He buried his face in her hair. “Someday I’ll explain why it took me so long. Until then, there can be no more excuses. This is your one chance to marry for love.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll give you the world if you let me. All I ask in return is that you trust me.”

  “I do trust you.” Gwen backed away mere inches, gazing into his azure eyes. “Trust has nothing to do with why I don’t want you involved in this. Think of the repercussions.”

  Sebastian held her cold hand in his, infusing warmth. “Leave them to me. I have—”

  “You have a plan.” A grin tugged at the corners of her lips.

  “Smart woman. I knew there was a reason I wanted you as my Duchess.”

  Sebastian caressed her hand with his thumb, the small motion causing waves of excitement to ebb and flow throughout her body.

  “I can make this right, Gwen, and minimize the scandal. You must place your trust in me.” His words were rough with emotion.

  Gwen felt as if she were about to jump off a cliff. How could scandal be minimized? “Are you certain you are willing to risk sacrificing so much?”

  “If you only knew t
he lengths I would go to, the risks I would take for you.” His timbre was rich.

  “The only way I will agree to this,” she countered with firm resolve, “is if you agree to put your sister first. I won’t allow her to suffer on my account.”

  “You drive such a hard bargain,” he teased.

  She grabbed his lapel and leaned into him. “I am serious. On this I will not compromise.”

  Sebastian again pressed his forehead against hers. “You have my word.”

  “All right, then.” Gwen squeezed his hand as she whispered, “Ask me once more.”

  His intent gaze was fixed upon hers. He wet his chiseled lips then spoke with quiet emphasis, “Gwendolyn MacAlistair will you marry me?”

  His proposal sounded like music to her ears. “Yes, I will marry you.”

  “It’s about bloody time!” He wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips to hers in a long, passionate kiss.

  Sebastian offered his soul in that kiss.

  When he withdrew, Gwen groaned her disappointment. He then kissed her forehead. “There will be much more time for that, my love. First we must speak with your father and get ourselves betrothed.”

  “My father looked furious with me earlier. Can you be certain that his health can take such news?” she asked with concern.

  “No, but I summoned Dr. Danbury lest his services be needed. He’s waiting downstairs.”

  Gwen embraced him. “I love you all the more after hearing that.”

  A low, “Ahem,” from Tristan brought a close to their private tête-à-tête.

  Gwen’s attention was drawn toward her brother who, in turn, averted his gaze by meticulously inspecting his fingernails.

  “Why, Tristan,” Sebastian addressed his future brother-in-law. “I had forgotten you were standing there.”

  “I can’t imagine what would have caused you to be so preoccupied,” Tristan drawled in a satirical tone. “We should return to Father. Heaven knows he may have his ear pressed against the door trying to ascertain what’s going on out here.”

  “Tristan,” Gwen admonished.

  Sebastian’s deep azure gaze captured hers once more. He squeezed her hand and his unspoken message was clear.

  They would face her father as a united front.

  Lachlan no longer needed to question his daughter as to whether or not the Duke of Davenport had compromised her. Gwendolyn’s shameful behavior in his very room confirmed it.

  He had scrutinized his daughter during her exchange with Sebastian in the corner, disgusted by her unguarded and intimate conversation with him.

  History was repeating itself.

  Lachlan slammed his fist upon the fireplace mantle. He always thought that if he were strict with Gwendolyn, he would squash the characteristics that he so despised in her mother.

  Damn that girl!

  Like mother, like daughter.

  He paced across the span of his study, the Persian rug padding his footfalls as he massaged a large knot of tension in his neck. His great machination had failed because of Gwendolyn. The one person he never suspected of being a threat.

  Lachlan cursed himself for his error in judgment. They should have remained in Scotland. What was he thinking bringing Gwendolyn to the same place that her mother—

  Stop this at once! His inner voice bellowed.

  He refused to give into defeat just yet. Although his plans for making Keir a legitimate member of his family had failed, he could still have the last laugh.

  Lachlan curled his lips into a contorted smile.

  To hell with all of them!

  It was time he revealed the secrets that so many struggled to keep from the light of day. It was past time they all knew what he had done, the power he yielded all this time.

  Having made his decision, Lachlan returned to his seat. He was much calmer as he picked up the book he’d been reading before his unwelcome visitor arrived.

  He would allow the wedding between Montgomery and Gwen to proceed without a hitch. His wedding present to the happy couple would be something neither would forget.

  It will destroy all they hold dear.

  Sebastian’s scheme centered on showing the ton that not only had he won Gwen’s heart, but that their families wholeheartedly supported their betrothal as well.

  “We won’t act shamed, we won’t hide anything from the ton. That would only cause gossip and speculation. Instead, Gwen and I will share our appropriate two dances at each of the upcoming balls this week. She and Victoria will go shopping together while Tristan and I will be seen in White’s. The ton will recognize that Gwen fell in love with a duke with a large fortune. Common sentiment will be that she has made quite an improvement in her situation. In other words, they’ll be quick to perceive our marriage as we present it to them.”

  “I will not donate one crown to this debacle.” Lachlan pursed his thin lips. “Nor will there be a dowry.”

  Sebastian was relieved that he’d asked Gwen to check on Dr. Danbury while he discussed the particulars with her father and brother. The elder man was merciless.

  He studied Lachlan, his eyes ablaze with silent warnings. “I have no need of her dowry and will pay for all of Gwen’s gowns and other necessities. If anything has already been prepared for her union to Dunlop, I want it burned. Better yet, donate the fabrics to the less fortunate.”

  “When will this joyous event take place?” Tristan inquired.

  “In a fortnight.”

  Lachlan chortled. “It’s impossible! You’ll never accomplish everything in time.”

  “We most certainly will.” Sebastian smiled with confidence. “I employ a seamstress for Victoria. As we retain her for a small fortune, I am confident that she will be more than happy to please her wealthiest clients. We will have the ceremony at my estate, inviting all the prominent families. My staff will take care of the décor and the rest of the arrangements.”

  “Tristan,” Gwen’s brother perked up. “May I count on you to accompany your sister to all functions between now and the ceremony? Your father is ill, after all, and will be physically unable to do so.”

  “Of course, I’d be happy to,” Tristan obliged, an air of satisfaction spreading over his face.

  Sebastian chose his next words with great care. “Lachlan, my man, you will be the portrait of a proud, happy and approving father.” He projected an ominous expression, warning old Lachlan there was to be no negotiation on that subject. “Tristan? Why don’t you walk me downstairs and we can discuss further details?”

  “Of course,” Tristan leapt to his feet.

  As the two men descended the grand staircase, Sebastian instructed, “I need you to handle the dissolution of your sister’s betrothal contract to Dunlop. Negotiate a sum that will convince him to release Gwen from the contract. I will pay whatever it takes.”

  “Your pockets may not be deep enough, if I know Dunlop.” Tristan pushed his hair out of his eyes.

  “Rest assured they are more than deep enough.” Sebastian’s voice was tinged with a steely edge. “I don’t care how much money I have to pay him, just make certain that by the end of the meeting he’s out of your sister’s life. I’ll have a bank draft delivered to you at the first opportunity.”

  Gwen had been beside herself, waiting downstairs in the sitting room, when she heard their voices. She sprinted down the marble corridor, passing Norris on the way, with Dr. Danbury tailing her. “What happened? Is everything all right?”

  Sebastian’s tone was steady. “Your father appears well. Dr. Danbury, would you mind checking on him just to ensure Mr. MacAlistair’s health is stable?”

  The portly doctor nodded. “Of course, Your Grace, I’d be happy to.”

  Gwen called to her butler to show the doctor into her father’s study.

  “I thought I advised you to relax,” Sebastian whispered.

  “As if that were possible,” Gwen’s frantic heartbeat wouldn’t let up until she knew more. “Please, will one of you tell me what
happened?”

  “Father and I will meet with Keir tomorrow and dissolve your betrothal agreement. Then you and Sebastian will marry in a fortnight.” Her brother’s tone was proficient, as if he’d broken such betrothal agreements thousands of times. Since he was an attorney, he may very well have done just that.

  “So it’s not official?” Gwen could feel the frown lines in her forehead etching deeper. “Something can still go wrong?”

  Sebastian tipped her chin. “Nothing is going to go wrong. It will be fine, you’ll see.”

  Gwen remained unconvinced.

  “Tomorrow we’ll dine at my estate and begin our nuptial arrangements.” Sebastian reached for her hand and squeezed in assurance. “Come tomorrow evening you’ll be stuck with me.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that.” She smiled with mischief at the proposition.

  Sebastian kissed the back of her hand, sending a hot, tingling sensation shooting through her entire body. “My carriage will arrive for you and your brother at four.”

  Gwen acknowledged him with a nod.

  The two men she loved most in life exited the house and walked toward Sebastian’s carriage and out of earshot.

  “Tristan,” Sebastian captured his attention. “Make sure when Dunlop arrives that your sister is tucked away. His courtship wasn’t solicited by her, and I don’t think it wise that she be involved in the severing of ties.”

  “I understand.” The men made eye contact and Sebastian knew Tristan did understand, completely.

  They were shaking hands when Gwen joined them once more.

  “Tristan, would you mind giving us a moment?” she asked.

  Her brother narrowed his eyes. “I supposed I could wait on the front steps. But for one minute only.”

  Gwen’s twin walked back to the main house. Sebastian stood less than a foot away from her and the proximity was too close. He was desperate to kiss her again like he had earlier. He wanted it so much that his loins throbbed for her.

  He silently had to remind himself that she will be his wife in a fortnight. It was enough to slow his pulse until Gwen innocently reached for his hand and kissed his palm. She then placed his hand against her cheek. “Thank you for loving me, Sebastian.”