Victoria burst out laughing.
Julia leaned one elbow on the mantle, crossed her ankles and poked an imaginary pipe at Victoria. “A sleek vessel like you could find dry dock with me and furl your sails.”
Victoria collapsed in mirth, laughing as she had not laughed for months. The sadness lifted from her shoulders.
In his chamber, Simon paused in his instructions to his valet at the sound of girlish laughter wafting down the hallway.
“Sounds like the young miss is having a right good old time,” Beasley his valet said.
Simon nodded.
“Do her good after all her troubles.”
Did the servants know everything that went on in the house? Simon supposed it was only to be expected. He frowned. “She’s meant to be resting.”
“It’s probably that little maid of hers. Elsie. Right pert little thing she’s turned out to be now she’s a proper ladies’ maid. Will you be wanting your evening clothes packed, my lord?”
Simon looked with distaste at the black satin breeches and white silk stockings held up by his valet. He wouldn’t need them in Hampshire. Mentally he groaned. If past experiences were anything to go by, he’d be dragged all around the continent to keep the foolish chit happy. In that case, he’d be expected to put in an appearance at the British Embassy in every country they passed through. “Yes. Pack the evening clothes. They can follow with the rest of the trunks. I won’t need them with me tomorrow.”
Giggles echoed down the hallway from Victoria’s room.
His lips twitched at the happy sound then he frowned. She was supposed to stay quiet. He ought to stop the nonsense before she came to harm. He hesitated. She might not be dressed to receive visitors. Still, as her guardian he ought to make sure she was all right. He strode down the hallway to her door.
About to knock, the sound of a deeper voice stopped him cold. Who the hell did she have in there? He glared at the door. God damn. If she’d let Ogden into his house and into her room, he’d throttle her. After he killed Ogden.
Victoria’s laugh rang out.
Emptiness filled his chest. She would never laugh like that with him. She’d told him more than once how much she despised him and his dissipated life, and yet she trusted Ogden. Let her have him then, if he was what she wanted. He turned away, sickened.
A man’s voice, not Ogden, said in rough tones with a north-country accent, “I’ll give you my undying devotion if you’ll jump aboard this hearty barque of mine. We’ll sail on high seas and wild waters.”
“And I will row your boat, you mighty man of the sea,” Victoria said between giggles.
Rage filled his veins. He raised his fist. The urge to strike at something, anything, gripped him. How dare she? And in his house. He sneered. She was just like all the rest of them. Just like Miranda.
The damned little bitch. At the first opportunity, she’d jumped into bed with a servant while he suffered the torment of the damned keeping his hands to himself. Row his boat, would she? He’d drown the bastard in his own blood.
He thrust the door open and stiffened his hands into killing blades. “Get the hell out,” he yelled.
His eyes veered straight to the bed. Victoria’s startled face, flushed and full of laughter gazed at him. She was clutching a pillow to her chest and he caught a glimpse of slender legs in white silk stockings.
Her laughter died, replaced by shock. She sat up and adjusted her skirts.
Simon’s gaze took in the rumpled sheets. No one. Perhaps the bastard had heard him coming and now lurked under the bed. “What the hell is going on?”
“Good afternoon, Travis.”
Lady Julia stood beside the white marble fireplace with her chest thrown out and a wicked grin on her face.
His mouth dropped open. He thrust a hand through his hair. Hell. Ju Garforth. The little mimic from his childhood days. He should have guessed. He retrenched rapidly. “Lady Julia, what the deuce you doing? Miss Yelverton is supposed to be resting.”
He looked sternly at Victoria. Though she sat demurely on the edge of the bed, she had a puzzled expression.
Christ. What had he said when he opened the door?
“Nice to see you, too,” Julia said.
God. He’d made the most frightful fool of himself. What must Victoria be thinking? “I beg your pardon.” He bowed elegantly and smiled. “How are you, Lady Julia?”
“Don’t try those ploys on me, Travis,” Julia replied. “I still remember the day you and Philip locked me in the hen-house playing knights in armor and then promptly forgot to rescue the maiden in distress.”
Relieved that his fear of finding Victoria with some greasy servant had proved groundless, he laughed as he remembered only too well. Life had been fun then, and the future had seemed bright and shiny. “I pity the scullery maid who let you out. You were as mad as fire for days afterwards. My head still rings from the boxing you gave my ears when you caught up to us. It wasn’t our fault the gamekeeper offered to take us shooting.”
“Hmm. I was taller than you then, but I can still box your ears.”
Travis grinned. “Only if I let you.”
“You knew each other growing up?” Victoria asked, glancing from one to the other.
Julia smiled. “Philip and Travis were the best of friends until....” She frowned, staring at him.
Simon forced himself to stay relaxed, at ease. She didn’t know anything. No one knew. There’d been some gossip, some wild speculation locally, but no one knew the truth. His father had paid a king’s ransom to keep it inside the family. He retained his smile. “Until I went to school,” he supplied. “We didn’t see each other again for years. But you are still the same madcap, Lady Ju.”
She laughed. “And you are just as wild and reckless as ever, if what I hear is true.”
He bowed and smiled, refusing to be drawn into a discussion of how he lived his life. “I’m sorry. I seem to have interrupted you.”
“You told me to leave, my lord,” Victoria said, all cold formality.
Attack worked better than defense in any situation. “Nonsense. You must have misunderstood. I meant Lady Julia. You are supposed to be resting, not rampaging around here with this hellion.”
Victoria tossed her head.
God, he loved the way she did that when she was angry. Clearly, his lie hadn’t fooled her.
He smiled at her. His most charming smile. The one he kept for his special ladies. “Well, since you are looking so much better, I suppose there’s no harm done.”
Her gaze slid away. His stomach dropped to his feet. She wasn’t prepared to forgive him. Ah, why the hell would it matter?
“I really must be off,” Lady Julia said. “Can’t keep my horse waiting any longer.”
He’d spoiled their fun. What an idiot. He should have stayed away, just as he’d promised. Well, he’d solved the problem. He was going out of Town for the rest of the Season. “Don’t depart on my account. I’m on my way out.”
“No, I must go.” Julia leaned over and brushed her cheek against Victoria’s. Simon envied her the whispering touch.
“We’ll see you at Vauxhall tomorrow,” Julia said to Simon on her way out of the door.
“Not me. Deveril is taking Miss Yelverton and my cousin, if they are well enough. I’m going to Hampshire in the morning and won’t be back in time.”
Victoria’s brow puckered. “You’re not coming with us to Vauxhall?”
“Did you want me to go with you?” he asked, suddenly strangely hopeful.
She stiffened. “Of course not. It’s of no consequence to me what you do.”
Blunt and to the point. A sudden flick of anger lashed him. What an idiot for even thinking she might want his company. He forced his expression to remain distant. “Then why ask?”
Julia’s cheerful tones filled the frigid silence. “I will certainly be there. Victoria, you have never seen such fireworks as they have at Vauxhall.”
“I’m looking forward to
it.” Victoria’s voice sounded flat. Simon remembered how excited she had been about going to the theater. And her joy at the idea of going to Vauxhall. Now she seemed troubled. Perhaps not too surprising after the horrific experiences of last night.
Lady Julia held out her hand. “Goodbye, Lord Travis.”
“Lady Julia.” He looked intently into her face before he kissed her hand. He recognized her mischievous expression of old. Lady Julia bore watching.
He glanced at Victoria. The light in her face when he first entered had completely disappeared, driven away by his presence. An overwhelming desire to kiss away her frown tormented his soul. He wanted to tickle her and hear her giggle, feel her respond to his caresses. He took in the disordered bed behind her, the most tempting sight he’d seen for weeks, apart from her almost naked on that same bed last night.
Desire thickened his blood and surged in his loins. Why he would feel this way, when he knew how much she despised him was beyond reason. And rightly so. He should go, before she guessed at the direction of his thoughts. Or he took advantage of that bed. He froze.
Their almost kiss on the balcony at the ball was a bad mistake. One that would never be repeated.
He nodded tersely. “Good afternoon, Miss Yelverton.”
Trying to ignore his pulsing need, he strode to his room. Years ago he had sworn to never again let his desire for a woman control him. He never went back on his word. He’d also sworn to stay away from Victoria.
He cursed. He hadn’t been with a woman since the morning Victoria had arrived in his house. The warm armful he had planned for his delectation for the next few weeks would surely make him forget all about how much she tempted him.
God, he hoped so. He felt so damned empty.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Victoria edged deeper into the shadows of the hedge outside the Eckford townhouse. She shivered and pulled her blue merino cloak closer. What else should she expect for late April at two o’clock in the morning? If Cassandra didn’t arrive home in the next five minutes, Victoria was marching right back to her hired post-chaise and returning to her nice warm bed in Travis Place.
No moon brightened the sky, but the stars and a lamp farther down the street cast enough light for her to watch the Eckfords’ front door.
What on earth did people find to do at Vauxhall until this hour of the morning? If she hadn’t pleaded a headache and if Maria hadn’t still been feeling stiff and sore from the accident, Victoria would have known for herself. Try as she might, she’d been unable to think of a way to both go to Vauxhall and help Cassandra out of her difficulty. So here Victoria stood in the dark, like a garden ornament. Waiting for a girl who had no doubt enjoyed her evening to the full.
Playing the good Samaritan no longer seemed like quite such a good idea. Travis would be furious. If Cassandra had not sounded so pathetic in her note, Victoria would not have considered taking such a risk. Why on earth had Travis set his sights on an unwilling woman? One only had to see the way women ate him up with their eyes to know he could pick from a vast array of those who would be more than happy to become his mistress. Obviously Cassandra didn’t have a scrap of the courage needed to tell him her feelings.
A nagging doubt assailed her. Cassandra had told him she would go with him. His humiliation when she did not arrive would be Victoria’s doing. He would not be pleased.
She shifted her cold feet. Where was Cassandra? Perhaps she had decided to join Travis after all? A hollow emptiness spread through Victoria’s body.
She shivered, rubbing her cold hands together. Five more minutes then she would leave.
The sound of trotting horses on the cobblestones rang out nearby. Victoria held her breath, not sure if she wanted it to be the Eckfords’ coach or not. The carriage pulled up and soft laughter broke the silence. Footsteps tapped up the path and the carriage rolled away. A door slammed.
More minutes passed.
Soft footfalls behind her made Victoria turn around. She closed her eyes and opened them again. No, she had not been mistaken. Cassandra wore a hooded cloak made of some silver fabric that, even in the dim light, sparkled like hoarfrost in a winter sun. She could not have been more conspicuous if she had tried. Victoria reached out and pulled her into the shadows.
“Ouch.” Cassandra rubbed her arm.
“Shh. I thought you would never come,” Victoria whispered. “Where are your bags?”
“Travis said not to bring anything. He said he had everything I needed.”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “But you’re not going to Travis, are you?”
“Oh, right. Shall I go back and pack?”
Victoria bit back her impatient retort. “No, it’s too late. Whatever made you wear that?” She pointed at the shimmering wisp that covered Cassandra’s gown and hair.
“Travis sent it for me to wear at Vauxhall tonight. He said his coachman would be watching for a lady in silver. So I had to wear it. I mean, you have to wear it. Isn’t he romantic?”
Travis was nothing but trouble as far as Victoria was concerned. At the very least, he could have chosen a girl with more sense.
Cassandra began to undo the ties. “It is so pretty. I’m almost sorry to give it up.”
Bitterness filled Victoria. “You don’t have to, you know.”
Cassandra sniffed. “I don’t know what to do.” Her voice rose to a wail and Victoria glanced around expecting at any moment they would be discovered.
“Mama will be so disappointed,” Cassandra said. “She said Travis will have to marry me once I am ruined. But I don’t want to marry him. I want to marry Albert.”
“Hush. All right. If you are sure, then we must hurry.” Victoria’s heart picked up speed and thundered in her ears. Terror flooded her, cramping her limbs and stomach. If she was going to do this, she had better do it now before her nerve failed completely. Hands shaking, Victoria slipped out of her own cloak and handed it to Cassandra. In return, she put on the silver domino, tying the strings at her neck and pulling up the hood.
“Travis will be furious,” said Cassandra.
Did the silly widgeon have to frighten Victoria any more than she was already? “I’ll deal with Travis. Don’t worry about me.”
“Oh, I wasn’t. I wondered if he would come after me when he discovered his mistake. It would be very dashing to have a peer of the realm chasing after me in the dead of night.”
Good Lord, the girl was impossible. She had read too many lurid novels. “Listen. You must make up your mind, now. Travis or Albert. If you want the earl to follow you, you might as well go to him now. Besides,” Victoriashe said thinking it over, “he won’t find out until morning that I have replaced you. By then, you should be safe and sound with your grandmother in Sussex. Everything is arranged.”
Cassandra sighed. “I suppose so.”
“You suppose so?” Enough was enough. Assisting someone who desired help was one thing. This ambivalence was quite another, especially when Victoria faced the prospect of explaining what she had done to Travis. He would no doubt consider himself the injured party. “I am sorry, I am going home.”
“No, no.” Cassandra clutched at her. “I mean, it is Albert I want. It is that I get so confused sometimes. Travis is handsome and noble and everything, but he scares me. I don’t think Mama knows how fierce he can be when things don’t go his way. There was this one day at a ball, when another gentleman tried to cut in during a waltz, and he—”
“Never mind all that,” Victoria whispered. “Are you or are you not going to Sussex? Yes or no.”
The silence seemed endless. “Yes,” Cassandra finally replied. “Grandmamma will know what is best.”
“Good. Come with me.”
Victoria took her by the hand and led her to the waiting post-chaise. The post-boy closed the door. Cassandra stuck her head and arm out of the window. “Miss Yelverton, I forgot to give you this.”
A silver mask dangled from her hand.
“You better wear it. Tra
vis’s coachman will be sure to recognize you.”
Not such a silly widgeon after all. Victoria took the mask and tied it on. “Good luck, Miss Eckford.”
Cassandra bestowed a brilliant smile on her. “Thank you so much, Miss Yelverton. I really am ever so grateful.”
Her heart pounding, and scarcely able to draw a breath, Victoria hurried back to corner of the square where Travis’s black carriage, emblazoned with its distinctive silver crest, awaited. At least she’d helped one decent woman escape Travis’s wickedness.
“Please wait in here, miss, while I send word out to the east paddock,” the butler said looking down his nose. “His lordship is expecting you.”
Not quite. Victoria shivered.
Oppressive, dark-paneled walls, overstuffed embroidered chairs and an unfriendly-looking brown sofa crowded the St. John’s Hall drawing room.
Beyond the bow window’s lattice panes, a curving, shady avenue leading to the main road beckoned. If she left now, Travis would never know of her involvement in Cassandra’s failure to arrive. Coward. When Travis knew the truth, he surely would understand. No man with as much pride as he had would want to force a woman to go with him.
She would not believe otherwise.
Standing in the center of the room, Victoria wrapped the silver domino more tightly around her. Fearing recognition, she’d worn the cloak and mask for the entire journey, even when the coachman had brought her refreshments during a change of horses at first light.
She fought her rising panic. What if she had misread the situation and Travis loved Cassandra? How hurt he would be. And what would he say when he learned of her betrayal?
Firm hands grasped her shoulders.
She jumped, her heart racing unbearably fast. His soft chuckle tickled her ear. Somehow he’d entered and crossed the oak-planked floor without a sound.
“Here you are at last, sweet,” he murmured. Long tanned fingers caressed a path to the fastenings at the front of the domino and his hard body skimmed her back. Pinpricks ran down her spine.
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