UNCOMMON DUKE, AN

by BENSON, LAURIE

  The man smiled at Olivia and Gabriel’s right hand tightened into a fist.

  ‘You had not asked,’ Janvier replied with a smug smirk.

  That was all it took. Thoughts of trapping the man in his plan no longer mattered. He was going to break his legs so he wouldn’t have the opportunity to go to the theatre. Gabriel advanced into the room, but stopped suddenly at the sight of Olivia picking up her glass.

  ‘I told you not to drink that.’

  ‘As if I have any interest in what you want.’ She brought the glass closer to her lips.

  He snatched it out of her hand.

  ‘I am not tipsy and that glass will not make me the least bit inebriated. Give it back to me.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘No?’ She stood up and crossed her arms.

  ‘Your friend put something in your glass.’

  ‘Don’t be absurd, Janvier would never do such a thing.’

  ‘I resent such an insinuation,’ the Frenchman stated, placing his own glass down on the nearest table.

  ‘I wasn’t insinuating anything. I am stating a fact that you put something into my wife’s glass. What is in here?’

  ‘Nothing but some of my finest wine.’

  Gabriel held the glass out to Janvier. ‘Then why don’t you have a sip?’ He tilted the glass and surveyed the contents. ‘There isn’t much left. It would be a shame to waste it.’

  Olivia let out an exasperated breath. ‘I have no notion of what you think you are trying to prove. Are you attempting to have me question everyone I associate with?’ She took the glass from him and almost had it to her lips when he swatted it out of her hand. It flew across the room, landing with a crash and splattering the remainder of the wine around the fine furnishings and his wife.

  He knew the look on her face. She was incredulous and he had pushed her too far. His gaze dropped to the reticule she was holding and he considered how heavy it might be.

  She glared at him and it looked as if she might be trembling with rage. ‘You have thoroughly and completely ruined this dress.’

  He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of her statement, spoken through clenched teeth, but he needed to concentrate on Janvier. ‘What did you put in it?’

  ‘You believe I wish to kill her? I adore her. Why would I do such a thing?’

  ‘Why indeed? But I did see you place something in her glass from a small vial.’

  ‘I did no such thing.’ But his eyes shifted. It was a gesture his very astute wife did not miss.

  She stepped closer and searched Janvier’s eyes. ‘Did you?’ she asked as if she could not believe her friend could be so evil.

  His gaze darted from her to Gabriel and back again. A cold shiver ran along Gabriel’s spine, raising the hairs on his neck. There was no telling how Janvier would react to being cornered and Olivia was standing too close to him. Her safety was paramount. Gabriel needed to distract him and keep her out of harm’s way.

  ‘Is that what you planned to use tonight to kill the Prince Regent at Drury Lane?’

  He should bang his head into a wall. That was the worst distraction in the history of Britain—no, the world! His concern for Olivia had stopped his brain from thinking clearly. He knew enough not to reveal his hand too early and he had just shown Janvier all of his cards.

  Olivia was about to back away from Janvier when the Frenchman spun her around by the waist and pulled her back against his front. Gabriel reached behind him under his coat and pulled out his double-barrel pistol just as Janvier removed a sharp knife from his sleeve. The silver of the blade at Olivia’s throat flashed in the candlelight.

  They were at an impasse. Olivia remained motionless. The sound of her breathing was as loud in Gabriel’s ears as if her head had been resting on his shoulder. He needed to keep his entire concentration on Janvier to read any signs that would indicate what this man was about to do. He knew he had to block out Olivia entirely, or he risked being caught again by surprise.

  ‘Well, it appears we are both not what the world sees. How is it you are aware of plans against your monarch?’

  ‘I have heard rumblings.’

  ‘I see. And those rumblings brought you to my door? Convenient.’

  ‘Coincidence. My wife is here. I came to bring her home.’

  ‘But that will not happen. You see, your wife will be leaving with me, or she will die because of you. If you had done nothing to cause her to arrive at my doorstep, none of this would be happening. The evening would have ended very differently.’

  Guilt burned throughout Gabriel’s body at the truth that was boldly stated.

  ‘That was not poison in her glass, but something to make her sleep for hours,’ Janvier continued. ‘It occurred to me during our visit that I could take her to France with me as insurance, shall we say. But alas, you have forced my hand.’ He wiggled the blade by her throat. ‘I will be leaving with your wife now, Winterbourne, and you will remain here for three hours. Should you try and stop me, I will not hesitate to kill her.’

  ‘I will not allow you to take her. Let her go and we can resolve this like men, not like children who hide behind a woman’s skirt.’

  ‘Should I release her, you will not let me leave here a free man. I know the penalty for what you are accusing me of and I have no intention to die now.’

  Olivia tried to edge her way closer to the table with the large vase, but Janvier jerked her back. ‘Do not move,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘I should hate to mar that pretty neck of yours.’

  ‘You said you wanted me to go to France with you,’ Olivia whispered. ‘I will go willingly. There is no need for any of this.’

  ‘Why should I believe you would do so? I thought to take you with me in the event I needed to bargain your life should my actions be discovered. And now it seems I need you more than ever. Make no mistake, I will injure you should you or your husband force my hand. And if you startle me with any sudden movements, there is no telling how much my hand will move.’

  She swallowed deeply, causing Gabriel’s hands to sweat as he continued to point his gun at Janvier.

  ‘You don’t even know Prinny,’ she said. ‘What reason could you possibly have for wanting him dead?’

  ‘Your beloved friend has been boldly bragging about all the spoils of war he has acquired—items that rightfully belong to France and not Britain—and especially not to that fat, stupid man. He boasts how he defeated France. How he has brought down Napoleon. What is next? Will he decide to take France as well? I spit at his arrogance. We will not be subject to the rule of an idiot, forced to call ourselves British subjects. Surely you can understand how that would not be acceptable to me or any Frenchman.’

  Gabriel was trying to calculate the best angle for a shot at Janvier that would pose no danger to Olivia, but he was having no luck. His heart was pounding so hard it must have been visible through his coat. There had to be a way to get Janvier to release her.

  ‘Of course I understand.’ Olivia’s soothing voice broke the silence.

  ‘How could I live with myself if I saw my family and friends harmed by British tyranny?’ His gaze remained fixed on Gabriel.

  ‘So you are doing this for your family and friends back home?’ she asked softly.

  ‘I would die for those that I hold dear,’ he spat out.

  ‘Please, do not say such a thing,’ Olivia said gently. ‘Surely there must be a peaceful way to settle this. Prinny is sympathetic to the Bourbons.’

  In his peripheral vision Gabriel noticed Olivia slowly and carefully opening the strings of the reticule she held down in front of her. If Janvier caught her movement, he might slit her throat. A cold clamminess crept along Gabriel’s skin. Why couldn’t that woman do as she was told?

  ‘For how long will his sympathies last? With your Regent el
iminated, Britain will focus inward. I do not believe his brothers have the same fascination with France. We will be free of a British threat.’

  Olivia took in a shallow breath. ‘I understand you are doing what you must to protect your family. That is to be commended.’

  Why did Gabriel feel as if the words she spoke were directed at him? Were these to be her last words to him? He swallowed hard and forced his mind to focus on getting her free from Janvier.

  ‘That is one of the things I admire about you,’ said the Frenchman. ‘You are an intelligent woman.’

  ‘I like to believe so.’

  Janvier let out a cry of pain.

  He dropped his arms from Olivia as the knife fell to the ground. ‘Salope,’ he growled through clenched teeth while grasping his thigh.

  ‘You said you admired me,’ she sneered back, quickly darting out of his way.

  Stunned at his wife’s actions, it took a few seconds for Gabriel to realise he had a clear shot at Janvier. But before he was able to pull the trigger, Olivia grabbed the Sèvres vase and smashed the man over the head with enough force to cause him to collapse to the ground. The pieces of the vase scattered around him.

  She surveyed his still form cautiously. ‘You don’t think he is dead, do you? I find I am not bloodthirsty enough to kill him.’

  All the bones in Gabriel’s body disintegrated.

  She was alive.

  She was safe.

  And she was staring at him, waiting for an answer.

  Stepping closer to the motionless Frenchman, Gabriel could see what she had done to impede him. There, embedded in his thigh, sparkled a brooch encrusted with diamonds. He poked his foot into the man’s side. ‘He is still breathing. Do you need a moment?’ Gabriel certainly felt like he did. ‘Perhaps you should sit down.’

  She brushed her shaking hands against her skirt, cleaning off the remnants of the porcelain vase. ‘Do not concern yourself with me. Tell me what we do now.’

  We? Gabriel marvelled at her fortitude. He placed his pistol back under his coat. ‘We are not doing anything. You are going to return home and I will see that he is taken into custody.’

  ‘You would not have been able to subdue him without me.’

  That was a bit of an overstatement, but Gabriel thought it best to let her feel as she did. The first time one captured a criminal it was heady stuff.

  ‘You are not sending me home while you see this through,’ she continued.

  She was too stubborn for her own good. Kneeling down before her, Gabriel reached under her skirt and tore a strip off the bottom of her chemise.

  She slapped his hand away. ‘Was the destruction of this gown with the wine not sufficient enough that you felt a need to attack the rest of my wardrobe as well?’

  Stepping over to Janvier, Gabriel rolled him over with his boot, brought the man’s hands behind his back, and twisted the linen around his hands. ‘It’s prudent to ensure he will not get away should he wake up.’

  Olivia crossed her arms. ‘What do we do with him?’

  ‘Ordinarily I would have Bow Street hold him. But I will not take the chance he has a sympathiser there. I know of a place to take him for now.’

  ‘Richmond?’ She didn’t even wait for him to reply, as if the answer was a foregone conclusion. ‘How did you know Janvier was planning on killing Prinny tonight?’

  They were perilously close to a topic he had never wanted to discuss with her. ‘I received intelligence that led me to believe it was what he planned.’

  ‘So you arrived here to stop him.’

  ‘No, I had no idea where he lived. The plan was to stop him at the theatre.’

  ‘You expect me to believe you intended to give up capturing a man who wanted Prinny dead to come after me?’

  ‘I did come after you. Why you decided to come here is your tale to tell and you will tell me, Olivia.’

  ‘Janvier was to join us tonight to see Mrs Siddons. Since I would no longer be attending the performance, I came here to give him the tokens to our box.’

  Prinny’s assassin would have been sitting with them, mere feet from his intended target. Gabriel pushed his thumb against the bridge of his nose. ‘I was going to impersonate Prinny tonight, but I needed to come after you so someone else has taken my place. There are people throughout the theatre looking for Janvier.’

  ‘You will notify them the vile beast has been captured?’

  ‘I will, but I doubt I will use those exact words. I will go myself to inform them once I have Janvier secure.’

  Stepping closer to him, she rested her hands on her hips as if her small stature could intimidate him into agreeing to what she wanted. ‘I will go with you.’

  How she could try his patience. At least she was speaking to him. As he’d raced through the street of Mayfair to find her, he wasn’t certain he could convince her to see him, let alone speak with him. It was time to tread carefully.

  He rubbed his forehead and stared at the unconscious Comte. ‘Why are you not hysterical? I believe most women, if a knife were held to their throats, would be a shaking, sobbing mess. But you appear to be unaffected.’

  ‘I have had a horrid day! I am too angry at this moment to even consider crying!’

  She’d saved herself and Prinny by smashing that piece of porcelain over Janvier’s head. If she wasn’t his wife, he would think of recruiting her. ‘Very well, you will go with me to Richmond. I will take Homer and you will follow in your coach. In light of this evening’s events and your actions you have every right to see this through to the end. However, I need your word that whomever you see me converse with, you will forget their identities by morning. Trusting people is not in my nature. I need to know I can trust you.’

  ‘You’re speaking of trust? Oh, that is almost too much to bear,’ she sputtered. He waited for her to agree to his condition and she must have realised he would not be taking her anywhere until she gave him her promise. ‘You have my word. Now, how do we get his unconscious form out of here without anyone seeing?’

  ‘Help me empty one of the trunks in the entrance hall, then go fetch your coachman. We will strap him to the roof of your carriage in the trunk and take him to my safe house in Richmond. He will be held there under guard until his trial. By my estimates, he will swing in less than a week.’

  * * *

  Once Janvier was secure in Richmond, Gabriel needed to inform those at the theatre the Frenchman had been apprehended. Of course Olivia wasn’t content to return home while he did that and with more coaxing on her part he let her accompany him. Strangely enough, the idea of sharing this with her was no longer terrifying.

  They had not spoken one word to each other since they had left Richmond and as her carriage rolled to a stop in front of the theatre Gabriel glanced at his wife, who sat silently across from him staring out the window.

  He rubbed the stone of his ring through his leather glove. ‘Remember, you are to tell no one what you see tonight. Trusting you with this is harder for me than you realise, Olivia. I need you to promise that you will not tell even Victoria.’

  ‘I understand and have already given you my word. Shall we go in now?’

  Gabriel opened the carriage door and jumped down onto the pavement. Without pulling down the step he reached into the carriage, grabbed Olivia by the waist and lowered her to the wet ground.

  * * *

  Olivia discovered it wasn’t easy to keep her cloak closed to hide the disastrous state of her gown when Gabriel took it upon himself to lift her out of her carriage. Thankfully the rain had stopped. However, the puddles that shone in the light from the windows proved a nuisance as they navigated their way along the pavement to the door of the theatre. Heads turned as they made their way inside.

  This should have been a triumphant moment. Th
is should have been the beginning of a new life together. Instead, their arrival together was a sham.

  ‘This changes nothing between us,’ she whispered to Gabriel, lest he need clarification of her feelings for him. ‘I am here with you to see this through, not because I have any intention of resuming an amiable marriage with you.’

  ‘The world does not need to know that at the moment. Our appearance together should be believable, so I suggest you smile as if you are genuinely happy to be on my arm.’

  It would be a cold day in hell before she was ever happy to be with him again. Pulling from her years of experience disguising her feelings for him when they were in public, Olivia flashed him a pleasant smile. It must have been believable, because he gave a slight nod of his head and grinned at her with that annoying heart-melting smile of his.

  The confines of the theatre amplified the buzzing around them, as happy voices greeted friends and audible whispers carried their names across the lobby. Aside from their unprecedented arrival together, she was certain people were questioning their lack of formal evening attire fitting such an occasion. That busybody the Duchess of Skeffington even had the gall to raise her quizzing glass at them. Thankfully Olivia’s cloak was long enough that it covered her entire gown.

  Olivia raised her chin and glanced over at Gabriel, who was discreetly scanning the crowd.

  ‘Would I know any of your people? It would expedite our search if we were both looking.’

  ‘I need to find Lord Hartwick,’ he whispered into her ear.

  She tried to school her features at her disbelief. ‘Surely you don’t mean the Earl of Hartwick?’

  ‘The one and the same.’

  ‘But he’s—’

  ‘An immeasurable asset in protecting the Crown.’

  ‘Truly?’

  ‘Truly. Now tell me if you see him.’

  ‘Perhaps we should search the ladies’ retiring room. I have seen him hovering outside of it on a number of occasions.’

  ‘Not tonight—tonight he has a job to do.’