The Danger in Tempting an Earl (27 page)

Katherine nodded. “There was a man with her—an accomplice of sorts.”

“Did they hurt you?” Lucien asked as he squeezed her hand. When she flinched, he looked down to find the wound on her palm. Wild fury rushed through him, hot and fierce.

“No,” she said, her eyes holding his. “I cut myself on a piece of glass when I tried to escape.”

“They held you captive?” Lucien felt his throat tighten at the very thought of it.

Katherine nodded. “They took me to Lady Trapleigh’s . . .” She stopped herself, straightened her back and tilted her chin a notch before saying, “ . . . trysting place.”

“Good Lord!” all three men exclaimed in unison as they stared back at her, wide-eyed.

Katherine couldn’t decide whether they looked utterly uncomfortable with her mention of such a thing or if they might be intrigued. Whatever the case, their interest only grew as she related the rest of her story.

“Bravo!” Lord Gray exclaimed as soon as she mentioned hitting her captor with the vase.

Katherine looked to Lucien, who was watching her with something that could only be defined as deep admiration. “Yes,” he said. “Bravo indeed.”

“I know where this place is,” Starkly said.

“Of course you do,” Gray muttered.

“Perhaps we should go and see if Lady Trapleigh’s accomplice is still there. If we’re lucky, we might find Lady Trapleigh as well,” Starkly continued, ignoring Gray’s comment completely.

“Lady Crossby comes with us,” Lucien announced. “I’m not leaving her behind this time.”

“Splendid,” Starkly said, “then I suggest—”

“One moment, gentlemen,” Katherine said. “While I understand the need for haste, there is something I would like to look at first. You see, I have brought with me a letter belonging to Lady Trapleigh—a letter she seemed to be quite protective of. I realize it may be nothing, perhaps merely a note from an admirer . . . but what if it’s not? What if it gives us some answers?” She looked to each of the men in turn. “I think we ought to read it before we do anything further.”

“Then open it,” Lucien urged her, encouraging her with a smile.

“Yes, do hurry,” Starkly added. “I’m quite eager for the opportunity to chase after those villains.”

“Trying to atone for all your sins?” Gray asked.

Starkly nodded. “Something like that.”

Acquiescing, Katherine plucked the folded piece of paper from the pocket of her pelisse and handed it to Lucien, who immediately unfolded it and started to read. Was it just her imagination, or was he growing paler by the second? He flipped the page over to see if there was anything on the back, clearly unsatisfied with what the letter contained.

“Well?” Gray asked. “What does it say?”

Lucien opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. Eventually he handed the letter to Starkly. Katherine rolled her eyes and groaned. This was growing tedious. She ought to have read it herself.

“By Lucifer’s . . . ahem . . . forgive me, my lady.” Starkly looked mildly embarrassed. “What I meant to say was, this is extremely unexpected.”

“Would one of you please tell me what that letter says? I’m about to expire from the suspense of it all, and if you’ll only look at poor Lord Gray, it seems he’s faring no better,” Katherine exclaimed.

“You hit it on the nail, my dear,” Lord Gray said, saluting her with his half-empty glass of brandy.

“I think you ought to sit down for this, Katherine,” Lucien said.

She lost her patience with him then. “I
am
sitting down!”

“Right. Sorry. I think perhaps this letter has addled my brain.” He handed it to her. “Here, perhaps you ought to read it yourself, because if this is to be believed, it appears as though the man who’s to blame for Lady Trapleigh’s attempts on your life is already dead and buried.”

“He’s
what
?” Katherine asked, her gaze dropping to the signature at the bottom of the page. Her heart practically stopped. There, accompanied by his seal, was Charles’s name, scrawled in his own hand. It took a moment for her brain to accept, and then, desperate to understand the meaning of it all, she started to read.

My dearest lady,

As I lie here, consumed by sickness and awaiting nothing but death, my only thoughts are of you and our son. It is my hope that you will one day find it in your heart to forgive me for the choices I have made, but you know as well as I that I had to marry her. Revenge, however, is not as sweet as I had hoped, but rather bitter, as it turns out. If only I had been capable of letting go of my anger, my resentment and my hate, then perhaps we could have been happy together. As it is, my efforts have been in vain—sooner or later, my wife’s lapdog will return to England, and I will have no say in what happens next. If there is one thing I cannot bear, it is the thought of him winning her, but you know this well enough already, for I have spoken to you about it on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, it is too late for regrets. Stay strong, my love, and look after our boy.

Yours always,

Charles Langdon

Katherine read the letter again. She looked up at Lucien. “If I understand this correctly, my late husband had an ulterior motive for marrying me—one that was so important to him that he sacrificed his own happiness.”

“That seems to be the gist of it,” Lucien agreed.

“But that’s ludicrous!”

“I’m assuming you’re the lapdog in all of this,” Starkly said, addressing Lucien.

“I suppose I must be, though I don’t understand where all of this animosity is coming from. We grew up not far from each other, you see, attended Eton together and were later enlisted in the same regiment. I confess I never cared much for the man, not even when we were children. He had a competitive streak that bordered on the obsessive, not to mention an arrogant attitude that always raked my nerves, but it never occurred to me that he harbored such resentment toward me.” Lucien frowned. “Perhaps Lady Trapleigh can enlighten us further if we manage to catch her. Thank you for your hospitality, Gray, but we really must be on our way now. If there’s anything you need—anything at all—please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Give her ladyship my love,” Katherine added, looking at Gray, “and tell her that I will call on her as soon as possible.”

Lucien, Starkly and Katherine exchanged a few more words with Gray, then headed back out into the street, where they hailed a hackney, directing it toward the same area from which Katherine had fled only one hour earlier.

“W
ell blast it all, he’s gone!” Lucien said as he stared at the vacant spot on the floor where Lady Trapleigh’s accomplice was supposed to have been. “And there’s no sign of Lady Trapleigh either, is there?”

“I’m afraid not,” Katherine said.

“Surely there must be a way in which to correct this disaster.” Raking his hand through his hair, Lucien turned to Starkly. “If I were Lady Trapleigh, I think I’d make a run for it. She knows Lady Crossby will have told us what happened and what the consequences will be once we catch her. It’s likely that she will attempt to flee the country. Can you head over to the Home Office? Once you explain what’s transpired, I’m sure that someone will arrange for the roads leaving London to be watched, though I do suggest that you ask them specifically to do so—the ports too for that matter. I doubt she’ll return to her estate, but you never know—perhaps you should tell them to check there as well.”

“I’ll see to it right away,” Starkly said. He eyed Katherine. “I hope you can someday forgive me for not doing more in order to help you.”

“As I’ve recently discovered, you did more for me than I ever would have expected. It is I who should ask your forgiveness for thinking the worst of you all this time.”

Starkly grinned. “I daresay it was an unavoidable mistake, given my reputation.”

With a bow, he took his leave.

“We ought to get going as well,” Lucien said as he took Katherine by the hand. “You’ve had quite the ordeal today—I’d like to take you home so you can rest.”

Rest
. Yes, that was precisely what she needed on top of that morning’s activities. And perhaps something to eat as well. It was past noon, and she was beginning to feel rather peckish. After all, she hadn’t even had the glass of water she’d requested earlier. Passing it on the way out of the apartment, she said, “Sounds like a splendid idea.”

R
eturning home, they found a letter from Katherine’s butler waiting for them. “It’s from Carter,” Katherine said as she read the missive. “He says that we ought to be aware that Lady Trapleigh escaped last night.”

Lucien grunted. “I daresay we could have used that information earlier. Perhaps then you wouldn’t have acted so recklessly.” His eyes met hers, and she saw in them the fear he’d had of losing her.

Katherine wouldn’t argue that she had taken a risk by leaving the safety of Roxberry House, or that it had almost cost her her life, but she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t have done so even if she’d known about Lady Trapleigh. “My only thought was of Patricia, and that I had to try and be there for her—to help her in whatever way I could and to offer her comfort.”

“I know,” he said, “and your selflessness is one of your finest qualities, but even you must admit that you should have allowed Parker the time to ready a private carriage.”

“Fear for your sister’s life made it impossible for me to sit and wait for him to do so. My judgment was clouded by circumstance,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

“All that matters is that you’re safe now,” he said as he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “If all goes well, Lady Trapleigh and her accomplice will soon be apprehended by the authorities.”

Katherine dearly hoped so. She longed for it all to be over so they could bring Sophia home and move on with their lives.

“I
still can’t believe you rendered a man unconscious with a vase,” Lucien said a while later as they sat across from each other in the upstairs salon with a few plates of food between them.

“Neither can I. Slammed it right into his skull,” she confided. “Impressive what a life-threatening situation can do to a person. All I knew was that I had to escape.”

“And you did brilliantly, my dear. I couldn’t be prouder of you, though I do believe I will have to ask Parker to lock away the crystal.”

Katherine chuckled as she bit into a chunk of cheese. “Do you fear for your life, my lord?”

“I fear for my sanity,” he whispered as his eyes met hers. “You’ve no idea how terrified I was when Starkly arrived to inform me you’d gone missing. It felt as if my heart was being ripped from my chest.”

Looking at Lucien, she knew that it was true. “I love you too,” she said as she reached out her hand, wrapping it around his larger one. “It will be a relief to put all of this behind us.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Lucien said, “but until word arrives that Lady Trapleigh has been caught, we must still be careful.”

“I suppose this means that I must continue my confinement,” she said, disliking the notion.

Lucien nodded. “It’s for the best, Kate. We have to do what we can to keep you safe until she’s apprehended.” Picking up a grape, he offered it to Katherine.

“What if she’s never found?” The thought of looking over her shoulder forever was unbearable.

“I don’t know what we’ll do then, but let’s not worry about that until we have good reason to. She’s only just gone missing, and if Starkly can rally the Home Office, then I’ve every confidence she’ll turn up soon enough.”

Katherine sincerely hoped so, not only because she wanted to move on with her life but also because she wanted answers—answers that only Lady Trapleigh could give her.

“Begging your pardon,” Parker announced, appearing in the doorway, “but her ladyship’s bath is now ready.”

“Thank you,” Lucien said.

“Speaking of Bath, will you accompany me when I fetch Sophia home?” Katherine asked.

“Of course.” He smiled as he rose and held his hand toward her. “But first I will escort you to your room.”

Heat prickled Katherine’s skin and her pulse began to dance in response to the dark gaze he was offering her. She chastised herself for her silliness, for it was hardly as if he was going to toss out the maids and make love to her in a small tub. Yet there was something devilish about him right now—something that stirred her blood and excited her senses, even though she couldn’t quite define what it was.

“Here we are,” Lucien said as they entered her chamber, where two maids stood ready to assist, one busily heating more water in a pot that hung over the fire. Lowering his lips to Katherine’s ear, he whispered, “Feel free to request some privacy once they’ve helped you disrobe.”

A hot flush rose to Katherine’s cheeks and she felt her stomach tighten, but before she had a chance to gather her wits and respond, Lucien had left the room, closing the door behind him.

“If you’ll please step this way, my lady,” one of the maids said, “we’ll help you out of your gown and into the bath.”

In a daze, Katherine complied, allowing the two maids to bustle about. The pampering felt good after the day’s hectic events. “Would you like us to wash your hair as well?” the maids inquired as soon as Katherine had lowered herself into the water.

“No, thank you,” Katherine murmured. “In fact, I can wash myself if you’d be so kind as to hand me the soap.”

They looked a bit hesitant about that, as if worried that they might be chastised for not doing what would ordinarily have been expected of them.

“It’s quite all right,” Katherine assured them. “It’s just that I’d like to be alone with my thoughts.”

“Very well then,” the maids said, bobbing curtsies as they took their leave.

Once they were gone, Katherine sighed heavily, closed her eyes and leaned back against the edge of the tub, luxuriating in the feel of the warm water against her skin. It was most soothing.

A soft click sounded, followed by the hushed tread of footsteps upon the plush carpet. Opening her eyes, Katherine found Lucien gazing down at her with smoldering eyes. He was dressed in a moss green velvet robe. A smile tugged at Katherine’s lips. There could be no doubt about his intentions, and the knowledge made her brazen.