Surrender (33 page)

feel free to barge in on her so early in

the morning like this.

But this was not a normal morning. This

was the morning after.

Victoria's eyes flew open as the full

realization of what was happening and

where she was struck her. Relief rushed

through her as she realized it was still

dark outside. She and Lucas were safe.

They had time to get back to the ball

before dawn. Then she realized she was

alone in the bed.

She sat up suddenly, clutching the sheet

to her throat, and saw that Lucas was

hastily pulling on his breeches near the foot

of the bed. He swore softly, grabbed his

shirt, and stalked barefoot to the door.

 
Lucas, no, wait, I have a dreadful

feeling you should not open that door."

But it was too late. Lucas had already

yanked open the door and was starting to

growl ferociously at whoever stood on the

other side.

 
What the hell is the meaning of this

interruption? My wife and I are trying to

sleep." There was a shattering pause and

then Lucas continued with awful gravity,

 
I beg your pardon, Lady Nettleship. I

certainly did not mean to yell at you.

Forgive me. To be perfectly honest, you

are the last person I expected to see

tonight."

 
Yes," Cleo Nettleship said in frozen

accents,
 
I can understand that."

Victoria closed her eyes and lowered her

forehead down onto her updrawn knees as

the enormity of the disaster struck her.

 
If you will give me a few minutes to

dress, I will join you downstairs. Under

the circumstances you will probably desire

a few explanations."

 
You are quite correct, sir. But you

will answer my first question before I go

downstairs. Is my niece all right?"

 
Victoria is quite all right, madam. I give

you my word."

 
Do not be long. It is not yet dawn, but

there is very little time to spare. There are

decisions that have to be made and acted

upon at once, as I am sure you are well

aware.

 
I understand. I will join you in a few

minutes. We will talk while Victoria gets

dressed."

Lucas closed the door quietly and turned

slowly toward the bed. His face was an

unreadable mask in the dim glow of the

smoldering fire.
 
I am sorry, Vicky. As

you can see, we have something of a

problem."

 
Dear heaven, what are we going to do?"

She could not seem to get her thoughts in

order. It was as if she were swimming in

a sea of chaos.

 
We will do what must be done, of

course." He sat down on the chair and

swiftly pulled on his boots. Then he

finished dressing with the quick, efficient

movements of a military man.

Victoria looked blankly at Lucas.
 
I do

not understand. Why is my aunt here?

How could she possibly know about us

and this inn? I did not know myself

where you would be taking me until we

got here. Lucas, none of this makes any

sense."

He walked over to the bed and stood

looking down at her, his expression grim.

 
I have no idea what your aunt is doing

here or how she found out about us

tonight. I assure you, I fully intend to

discover the answers. But it makes no

real difference now, Vicky. Surely you can

see that? We both knew from the outset

that there were certain risks involved in

this sort of entanglement. We have been

caught and there is no way to go back

to the beginning. We must deal with the

situation as it stands."

She hugged her knees and looked up at

him, her eyes wide with uncertainty and a

dawning fear.
 
You sound so very military

about all this. And you look like a soldier

getting ready for battle. You frighten me,

Lucas."

His eyes softened for a moment as he

leaned over and caught her face between

his rough hands.
 
This is not how I would

have chosen to have had things turn out

between us. But now that the dice have

fallen this way, all I can do is ask you to

put your trust in me. I will take care of

you, Victoria. I swear it on my honor."

Before she could think of a reply to

that, he was gone, out the door and down

the stairs to meet her aunt. Victoria sat

perfectly still for a few minutes and then,

very slowly, she pushed back the covers

and got out of bed.

As she stood up she was chagrined to

discover she was sore in places she had

never been sore before in her life. She

would have given a great deal to have

been allowed to relax in a hot bath. But

that was impossible.

She felt the unfamiliar weight of the

pendant around her throat and reached

up to touch the amber figures as if they

were a talisman.

Memories of the night sleeted through

her mind like silver rain as she made

her way to where her clothes waited on

a chair. She struggled into her petticoats

and gown without nearly as much dexterity

as Lucas had demonstrated pulling on his

own clothing. She had never before tried to

get into a ball gown without the assistance

of a maid. It was not easy.

Later, enveloped in her cloak, Victoria

drew a deep, steadying breath and went out

the door and down the stairs. A concerned

looking innkeeper, who appeared to have

been recently rousted from his sleep,

showed her to a private parlor.

Victoria stepped through the door,

instantly aware of the quiet tension in

the room. Lucas stood near the hearth,

one arm resting on the mantel, his booted

foot propped on a log. Lady Nettleship was

seated in a chair at the table. They both

looked toward the door as Victoria came

into the room.

 
Perhaps I have been shown to the wrong

parlor," she said wryly.
 
I seem to have

walked in on a funeral."

 
I pray you will not consider it such

when all is said and done," Aunt Cleo

remarked.
 
Sit down, Victoria."

It had been a long time since her aunt

had used that tone. Victoria sat. Her gaze

flew to Lucas but she could read nothing

in his eyes. There was about him that air

of implacable determination which she saw

rarely but which never failed to make her

feel uneasy.

 
Now, then," Cleo said as if calling

to order a meeting of her Society for

the Investigation of Natural History and

Horticulture,
 
Lucas and I have already

discussed what must be done. He is quite

prepared to do the proper thing, and you,

I trust, are also willing to pay the price

of your indiscretion. A marriage by special

license can be arranged first thing in the

morning. I will attend as a witness so that

everyone will know it has my sanction."

Marriage. Victoria's hands clenched together

in her lap. All the while she had

been struggling into her clothing upstairs

she had refused to think about what might

happen next. Frantically she tried to calm

herself and think rationally.

 
There is no need for any of us to

overreact," she said cautiously.
 
I am sorry

you had to discover us, Aunt Cleo, but

surely if you are the only one who knows

about what happened tonight, it can all be

hushed up?"

 
I did not raise you to be a fool,

Vicky. The very fact that I did discover

you and Lucas here together means that

someone else knows. How do you think I

found out?"

Victoria closed her eyes briefly.
 
Yes, of

course. How stupid of me. Forgive me,

Aunt Cleo, but how did you find out?"

 
A messenger was sent to my friends'

house in the country, where I had just

finished dinner," Cleo said coldly.
 
The

note was unsigned and merely stated that

I would be interested to know that my

niece was here at this inn with a man

whom I knew to be a friend. I came at

once, naturally."

 
Naturally." Victoria looked across the

room at Lucas. Marriage, she repeated

silently; marriage to the man she loved.

It was not what she would have chosen

at the outset, but it did not seem so bad

now that she considered it.

Indeed there were certain definite advantages.

They would no longer have to

conceal their relationship from Society.

They could go about freely together in

each other's company. They could sleep

together every night. No, marriage did

not sound so very terrible anymore.
 
It

would take some time to procure a special

license," she said.

Lucas met her gaze.
 
I have one in my

pocket. I have been carrying it around for

several days."

Her eyes widened in astonishment.
 
You

have? But why on earth would you have

one with you?"

 
For just such an emergency as this,

of course. Why do you think? The risk

of discovery has been with us from the

moment we met and there were other

risks as well. In the event the inevitable

happened, I wanted to be prepared to

limit the damage as much as possible."

He smiled fleetingly.
 
I learned long ago

that it is always wise to have a position

to which one can fall back and regroup."

 
The military mind at work." Victoria

shook her head in unwilling admiration

for his strategic planning.
 
Everyone seems

to have considered the potential for disaster

except me."

Cleo gave her an oddly pitying glance.

 
I must confess, Victoria, I am astonished

to see that you have precipitated yourself

into this sort of situation. It is true you