by Goldie
He growled fiercely as he fucked her, his body shook his face glorious with satisfaction. With a final thrust, he emptied himself inside her.
Their gazes locked, and his precious expression had tears welling up in her eyes.
“Let’s go get married.”
“Yes, let’s do that.” She smiled through her tears.
He brushed a kiss across her lips. “Get dressed and pack a small bag.” Grabbing up his trousers, he quickly slid them on. “I’ll see to it that Julian has the phaeton ready. Meet me at the stable?”
She nodded. “I can hardly wait.”
“And remember, we’re eloping. Be as silent as possible.”
Biting her lip, she suppressed a giggle. “Yes, I’m already surprised we didn’t wake up the whole house.”
Chapter 9
Julian pressed his cock back into his pants, sweat pouring down his beautiful face, a face Edmund longed to look at in the bright light of day over tea and scones.
“You are a great fuck,” Edmund said, his back itchy from the straw of their makeshift bed.
Julian grinned. “As are you, sir.”
“I’ve told you,” Edmund said, sitting up and offering his lover his hand, “I am not Lord or Sir or anything when I’m with you. I’m simply Edmund.”
Julian slipped his hand into his and came to his knees, his sweet breath fanning against Edmund’s cheek. “Edmund, when are we going to leave England?”
Edmund ran his fingers through Julian’s soft brown curls. “As soon as William and Goldie are settled.”
Julian pressed his lips to Edmund’s, the kiss delicious and powerful. “Where will we go?” Julian asked, sliding his hand down his lover’s naked chest.
“Italy. We’ll just live in sunshine and happiness.”
“Promise?”
“Yes. I promise.”
Edmund lay back, his cock growing stiff at the idea of making love to Julian for the second time that night. Soon. They would be together soon and in a place where no one cared who they were or what they did.
Julian kissed him again, and a small moan escaped Edmund’s throat as desire scorched his loins.
“What was that?” Julian asked, sitting up and interrupting their lovemaking.
“Just a horse,” Edmund replied, grasping the waistband of Julian’s trousers.
“No, sir. I don’t think—” But his words were interrupted by the sickening sound of metal against bone.
Horror. Shock. Disbelief forced adrenaline though to Edmund’s core as Julian’s body slumped over. Reaching up, he touched the base of his lover’s skull. Hot, thick blood coursed from a deep head wound. His life force slipped though Edmund’s trembling fingers.
His gaze darted around the room, but there was nothing but bits of shadow and light. No form. No figure lurking in the corners.
He pushed Julian off and laid him gently in the straw. Leaning over him, he patted his cheeks, praying for a sign of life. His open eyes were glassy in the flickering lamplight. He set his face to his beloved’s chest. “Please. I love you. Please wake up.”
“Want to join your lover in hell?”
Edmund stilled, his heart racing as he lifted his gaze. Joseph stood above him, a pistol in his hand—a pistol pointed directly at his forehead. “Why did you kill him? He’s nothing to you.”
“It’s dark,” Joseph growled. “I would have thought you would be on top. Silly me, thinking you’d be a man in any situation. Now where is she?”
Edmund rose to his feet, his legs quaking, tears blurring his vision. “As if I’d tell you a bloody thing.”
“The witch belongs to me. You think you can steal her away? She’s mine. You have nothing to offer her, you fucking Mary boy.”
Edmund looked down at Julian and an ache so deep settled over his being that his own life ceased to matter. “Yes, I’ve already stolen her and made her mine. Over and over. She’s a mighty fine fuck, don’t you think? She turns this Mary boy into a man.”
“You’re a liar. Your soft prick and soft heart always get the better of you.”
Edmund sniffled and dried his eyes. “Not this time. I rode her hard, and I’ll ride her harder after she’s my wife. She’ll bear my children. She’ll call me husband, and it was all Father’s idea.”
Joseph’s expression shifted from rage to mania. “No, she’ll call me husband before this night is through.” He lifted the pistol and angled the butt toward him. There was a sharp, agonizing ache, and Edmund’s world turned black.
* * * *
With her bag packed, Goldie pulled her cape over her shoulders. Her new life awaited her in the stables. A new life she could hardly wait to start. The world was indeed a marvelous place.
Bending before the mirror, she checked her appearance one more time. She pressed a wayward curl back into position and smiled excitedly at her reflection. Her skin glowed fresh and pink, her eyes alive with happiness. A marvelous place, indeed.
Yet as she turned to leave, the joy and smile slipped from her like the outgoing tide. A heavy jolt of fear replaced glee. For in the doorway, Joseph stood, menacing, with pistol in hand.
“You startled me,” she said, her hand flying to her breast. He wore a mask of hate, his mouth twisted in an angry frown.
“You disappoint me,” he returned. “You fuck me. You fuck Edmund, and then you fuck William. You’re not at all the woman I pined for these past weeks.”
She took a step back, her escape hindered as she collided with the wall. “Leave me, Joseph. I’ll scream.”
He raised the pistol higher, his finger resting on the trigger. “Go ahead, but it will be the last noise you ever make.”
Her jaw bounced up and down as terror took control. “I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you, but you disappointed me. I thought we were married. I thought you cared for me. But you tossed me aside like garbage. What would you have me do?”
He narrowed his gaze. “So, you see to it that you secure your future by infatuating my brothers?”
“No. I mean…William and I…we…”
“Shut up!” He leaned against the door, closing her only exit. Without taking his eyes off her, he reached back and locked the door, slipping the key into his jacket pocket.
“Please, don’t do this, Joseph.”
“What of William? I saw him leave your room.”
She looked away, unable to face the loathing that met her gaze.
“Did you bed William?”
“What does it matter?” she shrieked.
He rushed her, his hard body colliding into her tender flesh as he pressed her firmly against the wall. “It matters.” Forcing his knee between her legs, he leaned into her, his nose in her hair.
She struggled against him, but at the cold feel of the gun barrel at her throat, she stilled. “Please,” she murmured. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“I can smell him all over you.”
“I love him, Joseph. I can’t help it. He wants to marry me.”
“Well, he can’t have you. You were mine first.” Jerking her from the wall, he tossed her atop the bed as if she were nothing more than a rag doll.
“Joseph, I’m not a possession.”
He pressed his body atop hers. “Yes you are. You’re mine.”
She writhed beneath him. The stink of sweat and alcohol had her stomach roiling. “No. Let me go. You have to. You have no right.”
“I have every right. I loved you first.”
“Love? You loved me? Then why did you trick me?” she pleaded through sobs. “Show me there is some softness in your hard heart.”
“I’ll make you mine again. You’ll forget him.” He pushed her gown up, his hand rough as they parted her legs.
“No, it doesn’t work that way. I can never forget him. He is just right for me, don’t you understand?”
He covered her mouth with his, silencing her pleas.
* * * *
“Julian!” William shouted the man’s name, anxious to be on his
way. After a taste of Goldie, he didn’t know how his brother could have left her. He raked his fingers through his hair. Life was going to be a pleasure from this moment forward.
He walked down the wide aisle of the stable. Glancing about, he noticed first the eerie silence. Something was indeed awry. The air seemed heavy, the horses huddling at the back of their stalls. Even Red, as bold and nasty as he was, had his nose tucked in the corner.
“Julian?” he called again, this time his voice laced with concern. He stilled, his ears aching for want of an answer. The only sound, the heavy breathing of frightened animals.
Dread settled on his chest like a boulder as he neared the large stall that served as Julian’s quarters. He knew. Deep in his gut he knew when he turned the corner something would be wrong.
The horror before him had his heart thumping against his breastbone. His brother, face battered, his naked body lay atop Julian’s. The back of the stableman’s head gushed blood.
“Dear God,” he mumbled. Falling to his knees, he removed his ascot and secured it tightly about the man’s head, hoping to stop the bleeding.
He turned his attention to his brother and tapped his cheeks. “Edmund. Brother. Please open your eyes. Who would do such a heinous thing?”
But before the question passed his lips, he knew. “Edmund. You must open your eyes. Tell me. Did Joseph do this?”
“Yes,” Julian mumbled, his lower lip trembling. “I heard them arguing. He wants the girl.”
“God damn him,” William bellowed, Etalon whinnying as if in answer to his master’s distress. He looked down at Julian. “I will send for help.”
Frantically, William scrambled to his feet and ran toward the house. What would he find in his angel’s room? Would she be stolen away, or would some new horror meet his frenzied gaze?
* * * *
With all her strength, Goldie pushed at him, shoved. Dear Lord, what was she supposed to do? He was bigger, stronger, so much more powerful. He was going to have his way, no matter how she struggled. No matter how hard she fought. And yet she couldn’t give in. Wouldn’t. This was her life. A life meant to be shared with William.
She stilled against his heavy arms and, instead, lay placid beneath him, her breathing coming in short, harsh gasps.
He smiled down on her, his face red, rivulets of perspiration flowing from his brow. “That’s a good girl.” Pressing his lips to hers, she allowed him to slip his tongue between her teeth and deepen his kiss. When he did, she clamped her jaw shut, biting as hard as she could.
He shrieked in pain and pulled back, streams of blood and saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth. “You bitch!” he shouted as she scrambled off the bed, narrowly missing a manic swing of his massive hand.
“Get out! Do you hear me? Leave me alone!”
He raised the pistol with one hand and wiped his mouth on the back of the other. “Put on your cloak. You’re coming with me.”
“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “I won’t.”
He pulled back the hammer, his eyes so filled with loathing that she knew without a doubt he would pull the trigger if she didn’t comply. “I said you’re coming with me.”
“Why? Why would you want someone who is in love with someone else?” she asked. But judging by the sneer on his lips, it was the wrong question. She shrank back and once again found herself pressed to the wall. Tears slid down her cheeks, her bruised body aching from the struggle.
“Why?” he answered. “Because that someone happens to be William.”
“You hate him that much?”
His jaw tightened and flexed, the veins in his neck bulging. “Not until you came along.”
“I don’t wish to be the cause of anyone’s misery, but—”
“Well, you are,” he interrupted. “You’re my misery.”
“Then just let me go. Forget about me.”
“It’s too late for that.” He sprang forward. She closed her eyes, the impact of his hard body against hers had her head reeling from crashing into the wall. Lifting her lashes, she fought the darkness that tinted the periphery of her vision, but she was suddenly very tired, her limbs too heavy to lift.
“William,” she mumbled as she slipped toward the floor.
* * * *
Lifting her up over his shoulder, Joseph rushed the door. He would have her yet. And then when he saw fit, William could replace him in her bed.
Rage boiled in his gut at the thought of his brother’s hands on the woman meant to be his. The woman he wanted since the moment William pointed her out to him. Damn William’s eyes for seeing her first. His brother got everything first. But not this time. He had taken Goldie’s virginity. They were bound by blood.
With one hand, he steadied her limp form as she dangled over his shoulder. He then set the gun on the bed and fished the key out of his pocket, his free hand shaking. Damn, he hoped William hadn’t discovered his arrival. Damn Edmund, too. Of all the nights to be fucking his lover. But it was good to pummel the dandy bastard. He had wanted to do that for years.
Sticking the key in the lock, he wondered if he or the stable man lived. Turning the key, he realized he didn’t give two figs. Neither Edmund nor Julian was worth worrying about. Besides, no one would miss Edmund. Not even the duke himself.
He opened the door, yet the sight before him had bile rising in his throat.
“Get out of my way.”
William didn’t flinch, didn’t move. The stoic bastard always did know how to put him in his place with a single look. Goddamn him, he was so much like their priggish mother.
“What have you done?” William asked, reaching out to touch Goldie.
“I made her swoon,” Joseph said, his voice a low growl. “Now get the hell out of my way.”
“No,” William replied, his mouth an angry line. “You put her down, and prepare your sorry ass for transport. You’ll not get away with what you did to Edmund this night. And you definitely are not leaving Dunbar with her.”
Joseph stepped back into the room and, without looking, reached for the bed in an attempt to grab the pistol. Why not kill William, too? That would make him first, last, and only in line for the title of Duke. But where was the blasted gun?
“Why must you take everything?” Joseph shouted. “Why? She was mine first.”
“Aye, she was, you damned fool. Now put her down,” William pulled a flintlock from the folds of his jacket, “or I’ll see you buried instead of transported.”
Finally, Joseph’s hand met the smooth, polished wood off his own pistol. His odds were improving. He aimed the gun at William and cocked the trigger. “Sorry, brother, I’m not the one who is going to be buried. Not just yet.”
“Put her down. If you truly care for her, you won’t want her harmed. You and I can take this outside and settle it like gentlemen,” William said, his voice taking on a strange, calm tone.
Joseph chuckled. “I’m not a gentleman.” He pulled the trigger, the explosion so loud it had his ears ringing.
A split second later, William’s gun sparked.
“What did you do?” Joseph asked. The smell of gun powder stung his nose as a burning sensation took root in his upper thigh.
“I shot you just as you shot me.” A small stream of blood trickled from William’s cheek. “Now give me my bride before you bleed to death.”
Joseph looked down, thick currents of blood spurted from an ugly wound in his leg. His mouth dropped open in horror, his heart beating with such ferocity he fought the urge to run.
“Help me, brother,” he whined. “I feel dizzy.”
William glared at him, the hate and sorrow that slid from his gaze almost as tangible as the pain that now throbbed from his wound.
“Put her down gently, and then I’ll see to you.”
Epilogue
May 1820
Goldie opened her eyes, the bed beneath so perfect that she could have slept in it forever. She rolled over and set her hand on William’s pillow,
the linen cool to the touch.
A smile curled her lips as she pulled the pillow to her breast and inhaled the scent of her husband. Even the slightest hint of his scent and her mind raced with lusty thoughts.
“Good to see you awake, my lady.”
He stood at the foot of their bed, gazing down at her. He was dressed, his hair neatly combed, the scar on his cheek from Joseph’s bullet barely noticeable in the pale morning light.
She pouted. “Were you going to leave without kissing me goodbye?”
He came to her and leaned in. “I’ve stood here watching you sleep for the past ten minutes, knowing my day couldn’t start until I kissed you.”
He set his lips to hers, the passion between them igniting into a heady flame. She set her hands on the lapels of his coat and pulled him closer. He leaned into her until she lay back on the pillows, his body atop hers. Pulling away, he gazed into her eyes and groaned. “Woman, you’re doing it again.”
She giggled. “Good. Now are you in very much of a hurry?”
He nibbled her neck, and she greedily arched her body against him. She could never get her fill. Never.
“Father has asked Edmund and me to join him for breakfast,” he murmured. His warm breath sent heated chills across her entire being. “He has some papers for us to look over before he heads back to London. And, of course, Edmund is taking Julian to Italy next week. Hopefully, the warm weather will help the lad.”
Goldie’s stomach twisted. Would the damage Joseph caused ever truly be over? “I hope so. He certainly did fight to live after what Joseph did to him. It’s amazing he’s still with us.”
William sighed. “He’s determined to regain all his strength. And his recovery has most assuredly brought out the nursemaid in my brother. Despite my reservations, Julian’s presence in Edmund’s life gives him purpose and contentment.”
She ran her fingers through his dark hair, taking pleasure in freeing the curls he had only just tamed. “As for your father, do you suppose he will ever recover?”
“I don’t know,” William replied, his expression grim. “Joseph’s behavior and transport to Australia aged him immensely.” He settled on the bed next to her, and she snuggled close, her head on his chest. “The only joy he takes now is in the possibility of grandchildren.”
