Surrender

Surrender

Amanda Quick

Prologue

The hall clock struck midnight. It was a

death knell. The beautiful, old-fashioned,

terrifyingly heavy dress that did not fit her

properly because it had been made for

another woman, hampered her frantic flight

down the corridor. The fine wool fabric

tangled itself around her legs, threatening

to trip her with every desperate step. She

pulled the skirts higher, higher, almost to

her knees, and risked a glance back over

her shoulder.

He was closing on her, running her

down the way a hound, maddened with

blood lust, runs a deer to earth. His once

demonically handsome face, the face that

had lured an innocent, trusting woman

first into marriage and then to her doom,

was now a mask of fear and murderous,

burning rage. With wild eyes that bulged

from his head and hair that stood on end,

he stalked her. The knife in his hand would

soon be at her throat.

 
Demon bitch." His shout of rage echoed

down the upstairs hall. The light of a

flickering taper glinted on the evil-looking

blade he clutched.
 
You are dead. Why

cannot you leave me in peace? I swear

I will send you back to hell where you

belong. And this time I will make certain

the deed is done right. Hear me, you

accursed specter. This time I will make

certain.
 

She wanted to scream and could not.

All she could do was run for her life.

 
I will watch your blood flow through my

fingers until you are drained," he cried out

behind her, much closer.
 
This time you

will stay dead, demon bitch. You have

caused me trouble enough."

She was at the top of the stairs now,

gasping for breath. Fear clawed at her

insides. Holding the thick skirts even

higher, she started down the staircase,

one hand on the banister to keep herself

from falling. It would be a bitter irony to

die of a broken neck rather than a slashed

throat.

He was so close, so very close. She knew

there was every chance she would not make

it back to safety. This time she had gone

too far, taken one risk too many. She had

played the part of a ghost and now she

was very likely to become one. He would

be on top of her before she reached the

bottom step.

She had finally gotten the proof she had

sought. In his rage he had confessed. If she

lived, she would have justice for her poor

mother. But it was fast becoming apparent

that her quest would cost her her life.

Soon she would feel his hands on her,

grabbing at her in a dreadful parody of the

sexual embrace he had threatened her with

when she was younger. Then she would

feel the knife.

The knife.

Dear God, the knife.

She was halfway down the stairs when

her pursuer's hideous scream rent the

shadows.

She looked back in horror and realized

that for the rest of her life, midnight would

never be quite the same again. For her,

midnight would mean nightmare.

 
Victoria Claire Huntington knew when she

was being stalked. She had not reached

the advanced age of twenty-four without

learning to recognize the sophisticated

fortune hunters of the ton. Heiresses were,

after all, fair game.

The fact that she was still single and

mistress of her own sizable inheritance

was proof of her skill at evading the slick,

deceitful opportunists who thrived in her

world. Victoria had determined long ago

never to fall victim to their attractive,

superficial charms.

But Lucas Mallory Colebrook, the new

Earl of Stone vale, was different. He might

very well be an opportunist, but there was

definitely nothing slick or superficial about

him. Amid the brightly plumed birds of the

ton, this man was a hawk.

Victoria was beginning to wonder if the

very qualities that should have warned

her off, the underlying strength and the

implacable will she sensed in stone vale,

were exactly what had drawn her to him.

There was no denying she had been

fascinated by the man since they had

been introduced less than an hour ago. The

attraction she felt was deeply disturbing. In

fact, it was quite dangerous.

 
I believe I have won again, my lord."

Victoria lowered her elegantly gloved hand

and fanned her cards out across the green

baize table. She smiled her most dazzling

smile at her opponent.

 
Congratulations, Miss Huntington. Your

luck is certainly running strong this

evening." stone vale, whose gray eyes made

Victoria think of ghosts hovering in the

dead of night, did not look in the least

dismayed at his loss. He appeared, in fact,

quietly satisfied, as if a carefully devised

plan had just come to fruition. There was

a sense of cool anticipation about him.

 
Yes, my luck has been amazingly strong

tonight, has it not?" Victoria murmured.

 
One might almost suspect it had some

assistance."

 
I refuse to contemplate such a possibility.

I cannot allow you to impugn

your own honor, Miss Huntington."

 
Very gallant of you, my lord. But

it was not my honor which concerned

me. I assure you I am well aware that

I was not cheating." Victoria held her

breath, knowing she had stepped out onto

very thin ice with that remark. She had

practically accused the earl of playing with

marked cards in order to ensure her win.

stone vale's eyes met and held hers across

the table. His expression was unnervingly

calm. Frighteningly calm, Victoria thought

with a small shiver. There should have been

some flicker of emotion in that cool, gray

gaze. But she could read nothing in his

face except a certain watchfulness.

 
Would you care to clarify that remark,

Miss Huntington?"

Victoria quickly decided to step back

onto more solid ground.
 
Pray, pay me

no heed, my lord. It is simply that I

am as astounded as you should be at my

luck with cards this evening. I am only

an indifferent player at best. You, on the

other hand, have a reputation as a skilled

gamester, or so I have been told."

 
You flatter me. Miss Huntington."

 
I don't believe so," Victoria said.
 
I have

heard tales of the ability you display at the

tables of White's and Brooks's as well as at

certain other clubs here in town that are of

a, shall we say, less reputable nature."

 
Greatly embroidered tales, I imagine.

But you make me curious. As we have

only just met, where did you hear such

stories?"

She could hardly admit she had asked

her friend Annabella Lyndwood about him

the moment he entered the ballroom two

hours before.
 
I am certain you are aware

of how such rumors fly, my lord."

 
Indeed. But a woman of your obvious

intelligence should know better than to

listen to gossip." With a smooth, effortless

motion stone vale gathered up the cards

into a neat stack. He rested his graceful,

long-fingered hand on top of the deck

and smiled coolly at Victoria.
 
Now, Miss

Huntington, have you given any thought

to collecting your winnings?"

Victoria watched him warily, unable to

repress the excitement that was bubbling

within her. If she had any sense, she would

end this here and now, she told herself

But tonight it was difficult to think with

the sort of cold, clear logic she usually

employed in such circumstances. She had

never met anyone quite like stone vale.

The hum of conversation and laughter

in Lady Atherton's card room receded,

and the music from the ballroom seemed

faint and distant now. The Athertons" huge

London house was filled with well-dressed

members of the ton as well as countless

servants, but Victoria suddenly felt as if

she were completely alone with the earl.

 
My winnings," Victoria repeated slowly,

trying to school her thoughts.
 
Yes, I

shall have to do something about them,

won't I?"

 
I believe the wager was for a favor, was

it not? As the winner, you are entitled to

request one of me. I am at your service."

 
As it happens, sir, I do not need any

favors from you at the moment."

 
Are you quite certain of that?"

She was startled by the knowing expression

in the earl's eyes. This was a man who

always knew more than he ought.
 
Quite."

 
I fear I must contradict you, Miss

Huntington. I believe you do need a

favor of me. I am given to understand

that you will require an escort later this

evening when you and Miss Lyndwood

have your little adventure at the fair."

Victoria went very still.
 
What do you

know of that?"

stone vale gently riffled the cards with

one long finger.
 
Lyndwood and I are

friends. Belong to the same clubs. Play

cards together occasionally. You know how

it is."

 
Lord Lyndwood? Annabella's brother?

You've been talking to him?"

 
Yes."

Victoria was incensed.
 
He promised to

be our escort this evening and he gave

us his word he would keep quiet on the

matter. How dare he discuss this business

with his cronies? This is too much by half

And men have the nerve to accuse women

of gossiping. What an outrage."

 
You must not be so hard on the man,

Miss Huntington."

 
What did Lyndwood do? Make a general

announcement at one of his clubs that he

would be taking his sister and her friend

to the fair?"