The Duke's Bride (9 page)

Roderick didn’t care a thing about the man’s I.O.U.’s. In
fact, Garette was so drunk, he was swaying in his seat. Roderick had tried to
ease the young lord out of the game, but the fool just wouldn’t leave.

“Very well,” Roderick said, wishing he had never sat at this
man’s table.

Devil take it. His treatment of Jane and the sight of her
watery blue eyes had taken hold of his heart. He had walked into this room as
an escape, and as luck would have it, he had sat down at the first table he had
come upon. Garette’s. No doubt, he would have to accept Garette’s notes to
cover the man’s pride.

Roderick stood and took the man’s papers. It was a shame.
The young lord was barely a man. He was a handsome boy, wide-shouldered and
strong as an ox. But Garette gambled too hard, drank like a fish, rode like a
demon, and chased skirts like a bloodhound. His vices were going to kill him, if
not a vengeful husband first.

“Wait,” Garette roared, stumbling over his chair. “You cannot
leave now. Need to play again.”

The remaining men sitting at the table howled with laughter.

“Get yourself some tea, young pup,” one of them shouted. “You’ve
had enough spirits to float the entire English navy.”

“You ain’t big enough to play with Elbourne, or any of us
for that matter,” another man bellowed.

An older gentleman at another table looked up from his hand
of piquet. “By Jove, man, have your mama get you some more milk and grow some
brains. You ain’t big enough for the likes of us.”

Lord Garette’s pale face reddened with embarrassment. His
lips thinned and his hands clenched.

Roderick scowled. Garette’s mother was dead. That last comment
was a low blow.

Roderick took hold of the young man’s arm and dragged him
toward the door. “You’ve had enough of wine and cards,” he said in a low
whisper. “Get sober, then we’ll talk.”

Cursing, Garette jerked from Roderick’s hold and staggered
away. “Get your dirty hands off me! I don’t have to be sober to know Argyle’s
moving in on your woman! You may think you have bested me in cards, but
Argyle’s bested you in females.” The young lord’s laugh was hollow. “Don’t have
to be a duke to figure that one out!”

Every muscle in Roderick’s body stiffened in rage. “You,
sir, are playing with fire. I suggest you sleep it off and keep your mouth shut.”

A brittle silence hung over the room as all heads turned
toward the two men.

Roderick’s mouth became a thin, white line of fury. He
towered over the young buck by a head and could barely keep from plowing a fist
to the man’s face.

A low murmur rumbled throughout the room.

Defiance filled Garette’s face as he gaze around. “I said
what I said.”

Roderick’s steely gaze impaled the man. “Did you hear me? You
had best keep your mouth shut or I shall shut it for you.”

Garette glared back, putting up his fists.

Roderick barely heard the rush of footsteps behind him. Someone
grabbed his elbow, yanking him aside. “Roderick.”

Roderick glanced over his shoulder and growled. Jared’s dark
eyes met his. “Leave this matter to me,” Roderick snapped in a low voice.

“Don’t,” Jared said under his breath. “Hell’s teeth. He’s a
loaded cannon, Roderick. Let it go.”

Roderick leaned forward. “You think I shall let this
peabrain insult my wife?”

Clayton had moved beside his older brother, blocking the
view of the rest of the room. “What do you think you are doing? Jane will have
your head.”

Roderick cursed when he saw Stephen enter the fray. It took
all Roderick had not to turn and tear Garette apart. He spoke through clenched
teeth. “If one of you gentlemen does not eject that man from the premises, I
have no idea what I will do.”

Stephen nodded, his face grim. He turned and grabbed the
swaying Lord Garette by his cravat. “I believe you will be taking a little air,
dear boy.”

Garette growled and tried to disengage from Stephen’s grasp.
“I ain’t wanting to leave. Need to recoup my losses.”

Stephen sneered. “Oh, you shall need more than that if the
duke decides he would rather remove you from the premises, old chap. Now, move
along.”

“Elbourne will shoot your head off, you stupid idiot!”
someone yelled. “By Jove, get moving!

Roderick was barely holding himself back from attacking the
man. But anything more would set the tongues wagging. He took a step toward Garette
and uttered with a deadly calm. “Leave now. Or devil take it, I may take out my
pistol and shoot you.”

Garette flushed in humiliation. With a little push from
Stephen, the young man fumbled for the door. “This ain’t over!” the drunk lord
shouted, turning to the room. “You may be a duke, but you don’t own England!”

Roderick swore and shook off Jared’s hand from his arm. Vengeance
raged in his veins. But before he could get to Garette, someone slid a hand
over Garette’s neck and yanked the young lord in the air.

“You may take back your words about the duchess, my good
man, or I am going to slice your belly with my knife.”

The room went completely silent as Captain Argyle pulled out
a shiny blade from his coat. Roderick narrowed his eyes on the captain. He had
not even seen James enter the card room. Where the devil had he come from?

Lord Garette began to whimper and fell to his knees as the
glint of steel waved beneath his nose. “I take it back! All of it! The duchess
is a sweet lady!”

“And?” Argyle growled, narrowing his emerald gaze.

Garette was almost sobbing. “And she is a true lady in all
things. There is nothing between you and her. She is a lady. Always has been.
Too much to drink. Don’t like to lose.”

The room was so quiet, Roderick could hear a pin drop. Now,
the captain was fighting his fights? Devil take it!  

Argyle shook his head, signaling for Garette to leave. The
young lord scrambled to a standing position and shot out the door. Stephen
followed the man to make certain he removed himself from the ball.

Roderick tore up Garette’s vowels and dropped them to the
floor, then strode from the room. The murmur of male voices drummed in his
ears, blending with the notes of a country dance coming from the ballroom.

By Jove, he thought, this was just the kind of gossip
Society would love to use against Jane.

J
ared, Clayton and Stephen left the card room and
returned to the ballroom while Roderick, still simmering from the encounter, made
his way to the gardens in the back of the mansion to clear his head.

“I find that shooting the man may have been more to your liking,
Your Grace.”

Roderick spun around. His gray eyes glittered with fury as
he took in the tall, handsome man staring back at him. The captain was of his
height and just as muscular. “You think too much of yourself, Argyle.”

A tense silence stirred between them.

Roderick regarded the man with a cool glare. The captain had
been becoming quite friendly with his wife, and now, the man had defended her?
Roderick didn’t like it at all.

“No words?” Roderick mocked.

The captain’s green eyes gleamed like that of a panther,
dangerous and knowing.

Roderick could understand why many women drooled over this
man. Indeed, the captain had once been his friend. But when rumors of Jane and
him had begun to circulate about the
ton
, Roderick had been livid to
discover the tales held some truth. In fact, the couple had been seen in close
company at the bookshop, the Upper Assembly and even at the Pump Room. Not that
Jane would do anything wicked, but Argyle was definitely no saint.

Roderick felt the blood pound in his head. And confound it,
Jane was his!

Argyle pursed his lips. “Are you quite done wondering if you
are going to box my ears?”

Grey eyes clashed with green as the tension mounted.

Roderick leaned against a tall oak and folded his arms over his
chest. A yellow moon hung low in the nighttime sky, allowing dappled shadows to
play across the gardens. The captain’s face flickered beneath the light, and he
seemed quite put out. Surprised at the man’s reaction, Roderick waited for him
to speak.

The captain shoved his hands into his pockets. “I do not like
rumors, but I fear your wife may get the worse of this night and not Garette.”

Roderick snarled. “If it were not for your grand chivalry,
she would not have the problem in the first place.”

The captain’s teeth flashed in the moonlight, setting Roderick’s
nerves on edge. “I have never touched her. Not the way Garette suggested.”

Roderick believed him. “You are seen with her. I don’t like
it.”

“Confound it, you fool! If you acted like a husband in love
with his wife, we wouldn’t be in this predicament at all, would we?”

Roderick pushed off the oak. It was too dashed close to the
truth, making him feel madder than a stuck pig. “By Jove, James! Do you have a
death wish? Because if you dare say one more word about my wife, dare mention
her name, I shall call for you at noon. And if you know what’s good for you,
you will travel back to London and never see my wife again.”

The captain tilted his head toward the mansion. Pale green
eyes glittered beneath the moonlight as they came back to settle on Roderick’s
face.

“Do you love her?” the captain finally asked bluntly, his challenging
words a blow to Roderick’s pride.

 Roderick’s jaw stiffened. His gray eyes narrowed. He
took another step toward the man and spoke in a threatening tone. “If you have
some feebleminded notion that you are going to claim her, you have another
thing coming. She is my wife! The only way you can have her is if you kill me.
Is that on your agenda?”

The captain let out a low chuckle. “Ah, we were once
friends, Roderick. But it seems your jealousy has jammed a wedge between us,
just as your arrogance and know-it-all attitude has sliced your marriage in
two.”

It was all Roderick could do not to thrash the captain within
an inch of his life. But that would seal the rumor, casting Jane as a fallen
woman. “I think you had best leave before I do something I may regret. I have
no wish to have Jane’s name dragged through the dirt. Your gallantry will carry
you only so far, friend or not.”

The captain glowered at him. “You arrogant fool. I find your
wife a lovely woman, quite lovely indeed. And quite innocent. But by Jove, you
know nothing about her.”

Roderick moved swiftly. His fist shot out, making contact
with the captain’s jaw, sending the man stumbling against the rose bushes.

The captain looked up in stunned amazement. He wiped a hand
over his bloody lip and rose from the bushes. His emerald eyes gave off a
dangerous glint. “So, that’s how it is, is it?”

Roderick gritted his teeth. Every nerve in his body was taut
with anger. “That’s how it is,” he growled.

The captain nodded as he exercised his jaw. “I hope you know
the lady is quite a prize. And plague take it, if she were not married, I would
sweep her off her feet and make her mine in no time. But it seems you still
love her. I cannot fight that, because I believe she loves you too.”

With one last disapproving glare, the captain spun on his
heels, giving Roderick his back as he disappeared through the gardens and left
the ball.

Roderick stood there while all the fight rushed out of him.
Hell’s teeth! What a blasted mess!

Jane sat in the corner of the ballroom, too tired and
frustrated to stand. She stared at another vase filled with roses and swallowed
past the ache in her throat. The roses had seemed so beautiful before, but now
they seemed quite lifeless.

Her mind kept returning to her conversation with Lady
Hassleby only five minutes ago. The older lady’s eyes had traveled over her in
a critical manner. “You are looking quite sickly, Duchess. Might I suggest, a
diet of pickled tongue and strawberries? The bloat of all those cakes and pies
can take a toll the female body, don’t you know. Makes a husband look to
others, if you know what I mean. All men do have their vices. You should be
thankful the duke is in the card room tonight,” she had said, lowering her
voice. “La, I happened to see Lady Trayton a few minutes ago. Heard she tried
the pickled tongue and it did wonders for her.”

Pickled tongue indeed.

Jane had excused herself from the lady’s side, claiming a
headache, taking the seat she had now.

She would not wallow in self-pity. However, she was
second-guessing her evening tonight. She would have to curtail her outings from
now on. Compromising her health was the last thing she needed.

She rested her head against the wall, almost falling asleep,
when Agatha tapped her hand. “My dear, I think it best you take your leave. You
should be in your own bed.”

Jane blinked sleepily. “It must have been the punch.”

Agatha’s forehead creased with worry as she stood beside her.
“I think it is something else, and you, my girl, had best tell the facts to that
husband of yours before he heads off to France.”

Jane lifted her gaze higher. “Oh, so you heard about France,
did you? Why am I not surprised.”

Agatha shrugged. “I am an old woman who hears many things
when people do not think I am listening.”

Jane laughed, leaning her head against the lady’s hip. “Oh,
Agatha, I love you. And you are not old. But perhaps I should never have come
tonight.”

“We cannot go back and relive the night. But I do think it
time you leave.”

Jane’s gaze widened, and she sat up. “Drat! Lady Horatio and
Lady Philomena are coming this way. I cannot believe the gall of them,
approaching me after our little tête-à-tête in the Pump Room.”

Agatha scowled. “I shall take care of this matter, my dear.
One whack with my parasol to their behinds, and they will be scurrying off like
frightened mice.”

Jane could not help but smile. “Agatha, please. Don’t make a
scene.”

“Oh, very well. I am only thinking about your condition. Never
fear, I will set them onto some other scent, those big-nosed bloodhounds. You certainly
don’t need to be bothered by them again. I will take care of them straight
away.”

Jane shook her head when Agatha took the two ladies by their
arms and set off in another direction.

“I believe we have met before, Duchess.”

Jane’s head snapped up at the sound of the female voice.

“Have we?” Jane asked Lady Trayton, recalling what the lady
had done to Emily.

The woman batted her long lashes and took a seat beside
Jane. “We met years ago. I was Miss Susan Wimble then. Your guardian and I were
to be married. But alas, there was a hitch in the plans, and I wed the Earl of Trayton
instead.”

Jane rose from her seat, hoping Emily didn’t walk their way.
“Ah, yes, I seem to recall your name.”

Lady Trayton stood, following Jane’s lead. But the hard
glitter in the lady’s eyes made Jane put up her guard.

 “Indeed,” Lady Trayton replied harshly. “Then I assume
you know the duke and I go way back as well?”

Jane lifted her chin, recognizing a challenge when she heard
one. The comment had shocked her, but she would not give this lady the
satisfaction of knowing that. “I am his wife. You are not. I believe that
explains the matter.”

Lady Trayton gave a light chuckle. “Ah, the lady has claws, does
she? And I thought you a meek little thing.”

Jane felt her temper flare. “You will have to excuse me. My
husband and I have the next set. He will be looking for me.”

The lady blocked her path. “You little fool. Looking for
you? I hear the duke had to defend your honor in the card room. Even Captain
Argyle came to your aid. It’s all over the ballroom by now.”

Jane struggled to comprehend what she was saying. “What?”

The lady patted the dark ringlets fringing her forehead. “Come
now, Duchess. All of Bath knows you have eyes for the handsome captain. It’s
not as if the duke pays any attention to you these days. He knows you cannot
give him an heir. Society is not stupid.” The lady let out a pitiful laugh. “Goodness,
everyone knows how this game is played. You cannot be such a simpleton, can
you?”

Jane swallowed the bile climbing up her throat. “I think you
have said quite enough.”

The lady’s expression turned hard. “Do you? Oh, here comes
Lady Emily to your rescue. How wonderful that you have all these companions flying
to your aid. Well, I suppose it’s time I should take my leave. But truly, my
dear, do not believe for one minute that I am leaving the duke in your little hands.
He has always been fond of me.”

Lady Trayton smiled and let her callous gaze travel from
Jane’s bosom to her slippers. “La, the duke does prefer his ladies on the
voluptuous side. But good gracious, Duchess, the excessively plump side is not
the thing at all. At least not for him.”

Her cruel laugh was like an arrow to Jane’s heart.

“Well,” the lady drawled, turning her back on Jane and
walking away. “May the best woman win.”

Before Jane could gather herself, the lady had sailed off into
to the sea of people crowding the dance floor.

“Why in the world was
she
talking to you?” Emily asked
in an irritated tone as she strode up to Jane.

Jane’s heart felt crushed. “She, uh, knows Roderick, I
believe.”

“Oh, Jane, don’t let her fill your head with lies.”

Jane turned to Emily and forced out a smile. “Why in the
world would I do that? Roderick loves me.”

Emily smiled. “That’s right. He may be the most pig-headed
of my brothers, and the most proud, and the most arrogant, and the most
conceited and—”

Jane put a gentle hand on Emily’s arm, stopping her. “I see your
point. But if you don’t mind, I would like to leave.”

Jane managed another smile. If Lady Trayton had been
truthful about what had transpired in the card room, it was obvious Emily had yet
to hear the news. And at the moment, Emily’s back was to the crowd, but Jane
could see people starting to look her way.

“I can leave with you,” Emily said, looking concerned. “I
can send word to Jared and Roderick that we are leaving.”

Jane’s bottom lip trembled. “Oh, here comes Agatha.”

Agatha came up beside them. Music floated in the air, but
even the dancers were sending sideways glances in their direction.

Emily frowned. “What on earth is going on?”

“I will tell you in the carriage,” Agatha said impatiently.
“But we must remove Jane from here as soon as possible.”

Emily nodded, her face grim. “I see. Someone has been
talking.” She took Jane’s arm.

Jane felt tears burning the back of her throat.

“Come, Jane,” Agatha said, taking her other arm. “I will
send word to Jared and Roderick. They can come along later.”

Jane held her head high as they moved through the crowd
toward the carriage. To her disgust, Lady Trayton was standing near the door, conversing
with Lady Horatio and Lady Philomena.

“So sorry to see you are feeling unwell, Duchess,” Lady Trayton
replied with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “I do hope you feel better soon.”

Jane said nothing, but Agatha stopped and told Emily to take
Jane outside. A few seconds later, Agatha joined them in the carriage.

Jane stared out the window, feeling her heart tightening with
pain. “I don’t want to talk about.”

Agatha let out a sigh as the carriage started rolling down
the street. “Very well, then don’t ask me what they said after my parasol accidentally
poked them in the ribs.”

Emily’s head jerked up. “You didn’t?”

Agatha smiled. “I did.”

Jane gaped at the older lady, then burst out laughing. “Oh,
Agatha! What will people say?”

Agatha chuckled. “What will they say indeed?”

After Roderick returned home from the ball, he headed
straight to his study, locked the door, and drank to his heart’s content. He
rarely abused his brandy, but tonight, he brooded over Lord Garette’s tasteless
remarks and Jane’s quick departure, both of which had set the gossips on fire. Confound
it! There was no doubt in his mind that Jane had heard the story about what had
happened in the card room.