The Husband Trap (42 page)

He knew Violet had been determined to hold the event in order to prove her capabilities as his duchess—though as far as he was concerned, she had no need. He loved and admired her exactly as she was. Yet he was glad tonight had turned out to be such a success. The achievement would give her exactly the sort of confidence-building boost she needed and deserved.

He gazed down at her now as they waltzed around the room. The odd itch on the back of his neck returned full force. He met her eyes, eyes that usually gleamed with the depth and radiance of a warm, sunlit sea. Only, tonight that warmth was missing. Her eyes nothing but an attractive glaze of color, all surface with none of the underlying intensity.

The itch worsened, the odd internal hum he’d felt all evening shifting into a higher frequency.

A thought popped into his mind, one he instantly discarded. Then it came again, banging like a fist on a door.

“My dear,” he said, his tone deliberately smooth and even, “have I congratulated you yet on this evening? It is a triumph.”

“Mrs. Litton did nearly all of the work, but I’m glad you’re happy. Is your birthday turning out to be everything you hoped?”

“That and more.”

Her left hand rested on his chest. He reached up, covered it with his palm. He rubbed his thumb over the amethyst she wore on her ring finger.

“Do you remember when I gave this to you?” he asked, his voice silky, intimate.

Her lips curved upward in a sweet smile. “Of course.”

“How we went to Rundell and Bridge together to pick it out? How you fell in love with it the moment you saw it?”

“It was so romantic. How could I ever forget?”

Jeannette.

My God, she was Jeannette, passing herself off as his wife.

The twins had switched places again.

Which meant Violet, in the ultimate of ironies, was portraying herself tonight. Anger roared through him like a blast from a fiery furnace.

“You couldn’t forget,” he whispered between clenched teeth, “because there is nothing for you to forget. It never happened.” He squeezed Jeannette’s hand.

She let out a small yelp.

“You’ve been caught in your own lie,” he said. “Violet didn’t pick this ring. I chose it for her. And at the time I gave it to her, we weren’t anywhere near London.”

Jeannette gasped, tried to pull away.

He held her tight. “Oh, no,
Jeannette,
you’re not going anywhere. We’ll finish this dance as if nothing is amiss, then you are coming with me.”

She bristled, but stopped struggling. Her shoulders slumped as they continued their dance.

When it was done, he pulled her off the dance floor.

Adrian scanned the crowd for Kit, who’d driven up that morning to attend the ball and celebrate Adrian’s birthday. He located him without a great deal of difficulty.

Kit stood on the sidelines flirting with the Lyles’ eldest daughter, a pretty brunette just out of the school room. She giggled at something Kit said and fluttered her fan.

“Miss Lyle,” Adrian said, “pray pardon the intrusion, but I need a moment of my brother’s time.”

“Oh, of course.” The girl cast curious eyes over the family trio.

When she’d gone, Kit swung around, a look of mild annoyance darkening his features. “I hope this is important. Miss Lyle and I were just making plans to meet in the village tomorrow.”

Adrian drew his brother and Jeannette into a quiet corner. “Your plans can wait. I have another task for you. Kit, meet your sister-in-law, Jeannette. The
real
Jeannette.”

Kit’s eyes widened.

“Watch her. Don’t let her out of your sight.”

Kit crossed his arms and glared. “Don’t worry. She won’t be going anywhere.”

“Good. Now I just have to locate my wife and throttle some sense into her.”

Adrian stalked away, then stopped suddenly and retraced his steps. Without so much as a by-your-leave, he grabbed Jeannette’s left hand, twisted the rings off her finger.

“These,” he told her, “don’t belong to you. Never wear them again.” He tucked them into his pocket and departed.

Violet wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and gulped a breath of cool night air. The scent of lilacs drifted through the garden on a sweet, succulent cloud.

She ought to return to the ballroom, she knew, before someone noticed she was missing.

The evening was growing late. Only a couple more hours to endure, then everything would return to the way it had been when she’d awakened this morning. She and Jeannette would switch back, no one the wiser.

Only, she would be wiser.

She would know the truth, and that knowledge would surely haunt her for the rest of her life. Her husband, the man she loved above anything, couldn’t tell her from her twin. He claimed to adore her, said he understood her, knew her as only a lover could, yet still he’d been fooled.

Was she really so interchangeable? So generic? So dispensable?

Would Adrian, despite everything he said, be just as content married to Jeannette? Deep down she knew he would not. Still, an inkling of doubt remained, along with the obvious blow to her pride.

But that too would heal in time. She would go on with her life, her marriage, and put this little matter aside. She would learn to forget. No use picking at it like a scab on a festering sore. That path would lead to nothing but disaster, poisoning everything that was good and honest about her love for him.

Adrian was her husband. Would always be her husband, she reminded herself. Her helpmeet and lover, the father of the child she carried and, God willing, all the others to come.

She would be content, happy, despite what she now knew.

She drew her shawl over her shoulders, resigned herself to returning to the party. A quiet sound of footsteps crunching in the gravel made her look up.

Adrian.

She nearly crossed to him, needing badly to be held.

Instead she retained her seat on the stone bench, painfully aware he believed her to be her sister. “Good evening, your Grace. What brings you out into the gardens at this late hour?”

He sank down beside her, stretched out his long legs. “The same as you, I would imagine. A breath of fresh air, a few moments away from the crowd.” He turned his head. “Although you prefer crowds, as I recall.”

Jeannette, she reminded herself, she was supposed to be Jeannette. “I love them,” she lied. “But a party grows tiresome when one can’t behave as one would wish. Violet says you know the truth, about her and me, that is.”

“Hmm, I do indeed.”

“She also says you were dreadfully angry with her when you found out, but you’ve forgiven her now.” She paused. “Have you forgiven me as well?”

His white teeth flashed in the shadows. “I’m still deciding.”

“Well, no matter. I’m just glad you and my sister are so happy together.”

“Are you? I thought perhaps you might be a little envious, considering everything you passed up when you decided not to marry me.”

“Not at all,” she said with a forced breeziness. “You and she are far better suited. I’m only sorry I didn’t realize it sooner.”

“Sooner than our wedding day, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“No doubt you are right.” He gazed out across the garden for a moment, then turned his head, met her eyes. “Though on occasion I still wonder.”

“Wonder what?”

He shifted a few inches closer. “What would have happened if you and I had tied the knot as planned.” His voice grew mellow and husky. “If you and I were husband and wife now. Aren’t you ever the least bit curious?”

A lump formed inside her throat. What was he saying? Surely he couldn’t want Jeannette?

“No,” she said on a rush, “not in the least.”

“Really? You always struck me as the wild, passionate sort.” He slipped his arms around her, hauled her close. “You and your sister are alike in so many ways. Makes me wonder how really alike you are. Perhaps we should experiment and find out.”

He lowered his mouth to hers, but she turned her head away, evaded his kiss. She wedged an elbow between them to hold him off. But he was too strong and seconds later dragged her across his lap.

“Don’t,” she cried, her heart shattering into a thousand pieces. “No.”

He crushed her mouth to his, commanding her, bending her to his will. A knot of agony twisted inside her chest. Try as she might to resist him, she couldn’t. She loved him, wanted him still. For a moment she gave in and let him take her mouth. His tongue swept inside to sip like a bee gathering nectar.

Finally, she gathered enough strength to shove him away. “Stop,” she sobbed on a harsh whimper, tears sliding down her cheeks. “Stop.”

“Why? What’s wrong, my love? Don’t you like kissing your husband?” He skimmed his lips over her wet cheeks, nuzzled an especially sensitive spot behind her left ear.

She shuddered at the sensation, pleasure racing through her. Then his words became clear in her mind. “W-what,” she stuttered. “What did you say?”

He pulled back, far enough to meet her eyes in the moonlit darkness. “You heard what I said,
Violet.
” He gave her a shake, his jaw taut with anger. “Yes, I recognize you. Did you think I wouldn’t know? Exactly how long was this charade supposed to continue?”

“Tonight. Only for tonight during the ball. When we all went upstairs for the evening, we were to switch back.”

“And have a good laugh together first at having duped me again.” He set her off his lap none too gently.

She wrapped a restraining hand around his arm to keep him from stalking away. “No, it’s nothing like that. I didn’t want to do it. It’s just that Jeannette said you couldn’t tell us apart and I…”

“You what? You believed her? Wondered in some deep part of yourself if she might possibly be right?”

Suddenly ashamed, she lowered her eyes. “You didn’t seem to know which of us was which that day at the picnic when she…when she deliberately dressed like me.”

“And because of that, you decided to lie to me again?” he thundered.

“It was wrong. I realize it was wrong, but I had to know.”

“Know what?” He laid his hands over her shoulders. “Know that I see you as an individual and not some duplicate of your sister? That I cherish you and only you? That I can look into your eyes and tell the difference between you—the only woman I’ll ever love—and your sister, a woman who would never have made me happy? Is that what you wanted to know?”

She nodded, a fresh tear of vulnerability racing down her cheek.

He wiped the moisture away with his thumb. “Violet, why can’t you trust me? Believe me when I tell you I love you and don’t want anyone else?”

“I do believe you. I will from now on. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

Her voice lowered to a near whisper. “No one’s ever picked me over her. Our whole lives it was always her first, then me. Even you didn’t originally pick me. You unknowingly wound up with me that first time down the aisle.”

“Well, I didn’t unknowingly wind up with you the second time.” He enfolded her in his arms. “I chose
you.
You, who I recognize as my love, my only love. And I
do
know you. I could pick you out blindfolded if necessity dictated that I do so.”

She smiled as the last of her tears dried. “You think so? Then what took you so long tonight?”

“You’ve got to give a man some maneuvering room when you deliberately set out to deceive him. You two are twins, after all.”

She laid a hand over her heart. “I didn’t want to deceive you. I wanted to prove to Jeannette you can tell us apart. And you passed the test most admirably.” She paused for a moment, then poked a finger at his chest as she remembered. “And what about the trick you played on me? Making me believe you were seducing my sister.”

“It wasn’t anything you didn’t deserve after trying again to deceive me.” He glowered. “Speaking of which, you’d better never play that little switching game on me ever again.”

“I swear I will never, ever lie to you again. Jeannette and I are done trading places, you have my most solemn vow. I mean it, Adrian. I’ll never mislead you about this or anything else again.”

“I’m going to hold you to that. Otherwise, I may resort to my original method of punishment.”

“Which was?”

“Paddling your bottom so hard you wouldn’t be able to sit down for a week. In fact, I think I might give you a few thwacks now just for good measure.” He tugged her toward him as if he really meant to go through with his threat.

“Don’t,” she cried out. “You might hurt the baby.”

He halted. “Baby? What baby?” His eyes skimmed over her frame. “Are you with child?”

Her face lit up and she nodded. “I was going to tell you later tonight.”

He gave a loud whoop, jumped to his feet and grabbed her into his arms. He swung her around in wide circles until they were both laughing and dizzy.

“I take it you’re happy.” She beamed, her arms locked around his neck.

“Ecstatic. You?”

“The same.”

She grinned at him. He grinned back, the two of them behaving like a pair of giddy fools. He kissed her long and deep, until they were both breathless.

“We’ll have to tell the family,” he stated when he’d recovered enough to speak. “
Maman
will be overjoyed.”

“Perhaps we should keep it to ourselves for a little while longer. I only just found out myself.”

He shook his head. “No. No more secrets, no more lies, not about anything.” He set her on her feet, then grabbed her hand, pulling her in his wake.

“Adrian, what are you doing? Where are you taking me?”

“Back to the party.”

“But we can’t go, not together. Everyone thinks I’m Violet.”

“You are Violet.”

“You know what I mean. You’re supposed to be married to Jeannette.”

He stopped, turned toward her. “Well, I’m not married to Jeannette and I’m tired of the world thinking I am. Oh, I nearly forgot.” He dug a hand into his pocket. “Here, put these on.”

On his palm lay the rings he had taken from Jeannette, gold and gemstones gleaming faintly in the moonlight.

“But I can’t.”

“Of course you can. They’re your rings. Put them on and swear to me you’ll never take them off again.”