Lady Vivian Defies a Duke (26 page)

He feared she would still experience pain, but perhaps her relaxed state would make their coupling easier. Positioning his body above her, he kissed her forehead, her nose, her chin. “I love you.”

“Me too,” she whispered.

He smiled and brushed the back of his fingers over her soft cheek. Would she ever make the same declaration to him? Perhaps he didn’t need to hear the words for there was no mistaking the affection for him in her gaze.

He prepared to enter her, uncertain if he should give her fair warning first. He kissed her again and surged forward while his mouth still covered hers.

She stiffened and tore her mouth from his. “Oh, my Lord! Gads, that—”

She snapped her mouth closed and stared up at him with wide eyes. He held still, his tortured breath stirring her hair. She felt amazing surrounding him, but he hated that she had to suffer for his pleasure.

He kissed her temple. “I’m sorry, darling. This is the only time it will hurt, I promise.”

She shook her head. “I’m all right. It was just a bit…shocking.”

“You are a horrible liar.”

Her chin lifted. “I am
not
lying. And this can’t be all there is to it, so please continue.”

His laugh was strained, but he genuinely appreciated her pluck. Gently, he withdrew and slid back inside her. As he repeated the motion, she sighed and closed her eyes. Her hands brushed his buttocks and tension seemed to drain from her.

“Move your hips with me,” he murmured.

When he thrust into her, she met him and sighed again. He stopped to kiss her then pushed into her once more. She quickly adapted her movements with his and soon he was lost in her. Her soft moans filled him with elation as she welcomed him, loving him back with her body. Her fingers clutched at his back, urging him to go deeper.

His thoughts abandoned him, all except one word repeating in his head.
You.
He had found what he had been searching for all this time. Vivian was his guiding star, leading him back to the life he had always been meant to live. She was his hope, his deepest desires, and his destiny.

“You are mine,” he murmured moments before she sent him to his
la
petite
mort
. He surrendered to it, welcoming his temporary destruction, for his beloved Vivian would put him together again as only she could.

Luke hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath, but when Vivian signed her name to the marriage settlement, it came out in a whoosh. She laid down the quill and accepted his mother’s enthusiastic congratulations.

Richard clapped him on the back. “Well done, brother.”

When Mother released Vivian from her embrace, she joined hands with Luke. Their fate was sealed, come what may. Vivian was his and soon she would have his name to prove his devotion. He lifted her hand to his lips, drew in her sweet scent, and marked her with a kiss.

Mother slanted a smile at him. “What an exhausting day. I am afraid you will have to excuse me so I might retire for the evening. Richard, will you escort me to my door?”

“My pleasure, Mother. I should collect Phoebe and make our way back to Shafer Hall.”

When they were alone, Luke scooped Vivian into his arms and carried her to the settee. He settled on the upholstered piece with her on his lap and traced the rim of her ear with his finger. She leaned into his touch.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“The soreness is mostly gone and I feel amazing.” She wiggled to around to face him, her eyes snapping with the curious energy he had loved from the moment they had met. “Will we share a bed often? I wouldn’t like waiting long between visits.”

Luke laughed, rejoicing in the fact Vivian was as passionate as he had judged her to be. “Try keeping me away.” He nuzzled her neck, becoming aroused again. If he hadn’t taken her innocence only hours earlier, he would already have her half undressed. “Perhaps I should send you to your chambers while I still have the wherewithal to do so.”

“Soon.” She played with the hair at his collar, her expression turning thoughtful. “Miss Truax wasn’t at dinner. Has she been locked in her chambers like Mr. Collier?”

“She has been ordered to stay there until I can decide what should become of her.” He hadn’t felt right about imprisoning a family member and one-time confidant, but he couldn’t look upon her without disgust.

“What do you want to do with her?” Vivian asked. “I hope you won’t be too harsh with her.”

“She conspired to ruin you and take you away from me. How can I be anything but harsh?”

“You said yourself she fancies herself in love with you. What she did is unforgivable, but I can understand her desperation. Mr. Collier is the true culprit, filling her head with lies and empty promises. Perhaps I would have believed him too if the situation were reversed.”

“But you would never conspire to hurt another person.”

She dropped her gaze. “No, I wouldn’t. I simply ask that you give careful consideration before you decide her fate. People make mistakes.”

He kissed her forehead. “You are too tenderhearted, my love. I promise the punishment will fit the crime. Nothing more and nothing less.”

“What will you do with Mr. Collier?”

If Luke made Collier’s transgression public, the man would have accomplished his aim to some degree. He wouldn’t allow the blackguard to taint Vivian’s reputation. The bastard had sought his revenge where it would most hurt Luke. Damn the consequences to Vivian. And Luke had been stupid enough to reveal his weakness to Collier. It would be easiest to take him into the woods and put a ball in him, but murder wasn’t the answer even if Luke’s rage called for blood.

“Lord Brookhaven has offered to take him back to London, but Collier’s days of mingling with the
ton
are over. Without the viscount’s support, he has no access to society, and Brookhaven has assured me he has already dissolved their friendship. If I find he has lied, I will challenge them both.”

Vivian nibbled her bottom lip. “What about Owen? You won’t say anything to Lady Stanwood, will you?”

“I see no reason to bring the countess into family matters. From all accounts, the man is blameless.”

This seemed to put her concerns to rest, and she laid her head against his shoulder. “Thank you for believing me. If my brother had placed more faith in me, Owen wouldn’t have been driven from his home.”

“Your brother believed you, Vivian. But sometimes a man must make decisions to protect those he loves. I would have done the same thing if my sister were in a similar predicament. And he defended your actions to my father.”

She sat up with a soft gasp, her cheeks flaming. “Your father knew?”

“He did not put any more credence into the rumors than I do. The only thing I would have done differently is deal with Mrs. Honeywell from the start. If Ashden failed you, it was in that respect.”

“But he did attend to Mrs. Honeywell.”

“He could have performed the task better. Rewarding her wagging tongue with invitations to join your brother and sister-in-law in Town was foolish.”

“What would you have done?”

“It doesn’t matter. She will give us no more trouble.” He wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck and urged her forward for a kiss.

When they broke contact, she wrinkled her nose. “You do realize in most circumstances you will not be able to divert my attention that easily, but I care nothing for Mrs. Honeywell so I will let it go.”

“I will take your warning to heart.”

Luke escorted Vivian to her bedchamber and left her in the care of her maid then made his way to the chamber where Collier was being kept. He didn’t trust himself alone with the bastard. He tested the door to confirm it remained locked then found his way to the master’s chamber.

He hadn’t decided what to do with Johanna yet, but perhaps his mother would have some guidance on the morrow. One thing he knew with certainty: she was no longer welcome in his home. She had already proven untrustworthy. He wouldn’t be fooled twice.

***

“Lady Vivian, wake up.” A hand at her shoulder shook her violently. “She is here, Your Grace,” Winnie bellowed.

Where else would she be but in her bed in the dead of night? Vivi rolled over to find her maid leaning over her. Long shadows blocked out one side of her face, her other bathed in dim light from the candle she held aloft. “Winnie? What the devil are you doing waking me at this hour?”

Heavy footsteps crossed the room and Luke appeared at her bedside still in his nightshirt. “Thank God, you are safe.”

Vivi rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up. “What is going on? It’s the middle of the night.”

Her maid gave her a lopsided grin. “It’s early morning, milady. The milkmaids are up.”

“I am not milking cows if that’s your reason for bursting in here.”

Luke took the candle from Winnie and shooed her from the chamber. “One of the chambermaids discovered the door to Collier’s room ajar. He is gone, and I feared he had taken you with him. I should have posted a guard outside his door.”

None of this was making any sense. “Wasn’t his door locked from the outside?”

“Yes, I checked it last night, which means someone had to take the key.”

A gentleman cleared his throat at the threshold of her chamber. Vivi yanked the covers up to her neck. “Lord Brookhaven?”

“Pardon the intrusion, Lady Vivian. Your Grace. I have just been informed by my driver that Mr. Collier has absconded with my coach. Apparently, Miss Truax woke my man and told him the coach needed to be readied for my departure, but when he wasn’t looking, Collier jumped on the box and drove the team.”

“Wouldn’t it have been easier to saddle a horse and avoid detection?” Vivi asked.

Lord Brookhaven grimaced. “And less costly. My outrider was badly injured when he tried to stop Collier and received a boot to the jaw. The back wheel rolled over his leg.”

“Oh, dear!”

Luke stalked around the end of her bed toward the viscount. “Perhaps we shouldn’t speak of such things in the lady’s presence.”

“Forgive me, Lady Vivian.” When the two men moved into the corridor, Vivi swung her legs out of bed, wrapped the counterpane around her, and hurried after them.

“Wait a moment.” She caught up to them halfway down the corridor. “What about Miss Truax?”

The men turned to frown at her. She pulled the covers tighter around her.

“It makes no sense for Collier to steal a coach when a horse would provide a better chance at escape,” she said. “And how did he convince Miss Truax to help him?”

Brookhaven scratched his whiskered cheek. “We should ask her. Will you send for her, Foxhaven?”

Luke met Vivi’s gaze, understanding flickering to life behind his eyes. “He needed a coach for his passenger.”

She nodded. “She’s in danger. I know it.”

“Damnation.” Luke spun around and stormed to his bedchamber. Vivi lifted the counterpane so she wouldn’t trip and dashed after him.

“Where are you going?” Brookhaven called after them.

“Miss Truax is in need of rescue,” Vivi said then disappeared into Luke’s chambers.

He had already peeled his dressing gown over his shoulders and tossed it aside before grabbing a pair of trousers from his wardrobe. “I should wring her neck.”

Vivi let the counterpane fall to the ground and walked to his wardrobe, too. “There will be plenty of time for that once we find her.” She eyed the trousers hanging on pegs and picked the smallest pair.

“What do you mean by
we
?”

She shoved her leg into the pants. “I am going with you.”

“You most certainly are not.” He paused after pulling his shirt over his head. “What the hell are you doing, Vivian?”

Her chin lifted an inch. “I can’t ride astride in a gown, and a sidesaddle is out of the question. It will only slow us down.”

Luke stalked across the room, grabbed her by the shoulders, and bent down to her level. “You are not going. I need you to stay behind and tell Mother what has happened.”

“She needn’t know anything until we return with Miss Truax. They haven’t been gone long. We can catch them if we hurry.”

“And why should I take you along?”

“Because I can shoot almost as well as you, but more importantly, she may need a lady when we find her.”

The stubborn set to Luke’s jaw eased a bit, and she knew he was considering her logic. She pushed harder to make him understand.

“I hope I am wrong about Mr. Collier’s intentions, but if he treats her poorly, the presence of another man may be too upsetting.”

“How do you know of these things?” he asked quietly.

“Even in Dunstable, we had men misuse women. Please, allow me to help you. I promise to listen to everything you tell me to do.”

He scoffed and released her shoulders. “Another first for you, darling?”

She stuck her tongue out and rummaged in the wardrobe for a shirt, the pants falling low on her hips.

Luke tugged them up and pulled a sash from a drawer. “You won’t be much help if you lose your pants along the way.”

A wide grin spread across her face as he tied the sash tightly around her waist, securing the trousers. “You will need your own boots, so go get them.”

Vivi dashed to the door, but stopped in the threshold. “Are you planning to leave me?”

“Hurry, before I change my mind.”

She did as he bid and was slightly winded when she met him at the stairwell. As they walked side by side to the stables, he reached for her hand. “You may need this.” Cold metal touched her palm when he pressed a small caliber firearm into her hand. “It has one shot, so make it count if you must use it.”

Lord Brookhaven was waiting in the stables. “Seeing as how it’s my property the blackguard stole, I want to be part of his capture. It isn’t far to the border. I imagine that is his destination. He has kin in Glasgow.”

Luke nodded. “Saddle the black stallion for the lady,” he said to a nearby groom.

The servant balked when he took a gander of Vivi in Luke’s clothes.

Luke’s brows lowered dangerously over his intense blue eyes. “Make it quick.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” The groom jumped to obey, fumbling to release the bridle from a hook. Her mount was readied quickly, and soon she, the viscount, and Luke were riding toward the village north of Irvine Castle.

They traveled in silence, perhaps each lost in their own thoughts. Vivi should be furious with Miss Truax, but she was too worried for the other woman’s welfare to hang on to her anger at the moment. She had seen the coldness in Collier’s eyes. He knew nothing of compassion nor did he have any qualms about taking whatever he wanted. He had shown his character well enough when he had forced Vivi into the phaeton earlier. She hoped Luke’s kin would escape the situation unscathed.

The sky grew brighter the farther they rode. Vivi had a feeling the promise of a beautiful, sunny day provided a poor indication of what was to come.

When they entered the outskirts of the village, thin threads of smoke were rising from the chimneys. One of the residents may have seen Lord Brookhaven’s coach pass through if he was awake early enough.

“The inn is this way,” Luke said and took the lead. “We will ask after Collier at the yard.”

There was no need to ask anything, however. A sturdy coach with the Brookhaven crest sat in the coaching yard.

“Why did he stop here?” Vivi asked. For a man who strove to be nefarious, Mr. Collier was a dimwit.

“I don’t know or care.” Lord Brookhaven dismounted and turned the horse over to an ostler before strolling to his coach and sticking his head inside. “No one is here.”

Luke swung down from his horse then assisted Vivi. “Stay outside while I search the inn.”

“I think not. There would be no point in my traveling all this distance just to wait outside. I’m coming with you.”

He grabbed her arm, and she thought he would stop her, but instead he linked arms with her. “Stay close to me.”

Vivi quirked an eyebrow. “Won’t this appear suspicious given I am dressed as a man?”

“No one who gets a good look is going to believe you are a man. Not with that arse.”

“Oh!” She nearly turned a circle trying to get a glance at her backside.

He chuckled under his breath and held the door open for her to proceed inside. “You needn’t draw more notice to it, but to satisfy your curiosity, it looks marvelous.”

Her cheeks heated and she hurried into the inn, pushing her hat low to hide her face.