The Seduction of Sebastian St. James (House of Renwick #2)(48)

Knowingly used by a duke, kissed by that same duke, all the while blatantly aware they would not be married.

Any hope of redeeming herself was lost.

Panicking and selflessly trying to keep Sebastian’s reputation as spotless as possible, she intervened. “Sebastian, let’s leave. He’s obviously foxed.”

“Foxed?” Rawlings laughed. “No, not foxed. Although I’d rather be foxed than have to fight this piece of scum for you, dear sweet Emma. After all, weren’t you mine first?”

“That’s it!” Sebastian tackled him to the floor.

Shrieking, Emma ran to get Nicholas. Someone had to keep the men from killing one another. As she turned the corner, she ran into a hard body.

“Excuse me, sir.” She pushed past him but was stopped by his grip on her writs.

“Sir?” No response came from the figure as she lifted her eyes to his, and then, everything went black.





Chapter Twenty-three


Sebastian was half-tempted to kill the man. Blood poured from a cut over his eye, but Rawlings continued to fight back. They rolled across the floor until Sebastian was on top of Rawlings throwing punches across his face.

A muscled body wrapped around the back of Sebastian and pulled him off the poor sod. He tried to attack once again, but he was firmly in the grasp of the person behind him.

“Stop at once! Have you no care for your reputation?” Nicholas growled.

For once in his life, Sebastian hadn’t a care for anything but his future wife’s honor. How dare this man touch her!

“It matters not. One way or another, I will kill him,” he swore.

Rawlings was still on the floor, head in his hands. “Are you bloody insane? I merely kissed her. You aren’t even engaged. It’s all a farce! What is wrong with you?” He continued to curse as blood poured from the cut above his eye as well as his nose. “Blast, if you were truly attached to her, I would have kept to myself.”

Sebastian had no words. What Rawlings said was entirely accurate, how was he to explain he’d had a change of heart? That he was, in fact, desperately and irrevocably in love with Emma Gates?

Pushing away from Nicholas, he gathered his footing. “Phillip…” His hand was outstretched to pull his old friend up.

Reluctantly, he grasped at it and stood albeit shakily on two feet. “You idiot, you could have killed me,” Rawlings muttered.

Foolishly Sebastian grasped at the only truth he knew. “I thought you were still interested. You were affianced at one time, and you can’t tell me you weren’t trying to compromise her.”

Rawlings laughed. “At the tender age of five, yes. And then again before her come out. I was a complete dolt and trying to make amends. What I put her through, what I did to Emma was unforgiveable.”

The music continued as the men went to the far end of the ballroom toward Rawlings’ study. “I loved her, or I thought I did, you idiot,” he spat out, directing all his rage at Sebastian. “She’s been used before. Granted, I’m not totally innocent. Her dowry does pose a perfect solution to my problems, but at least I would try to love her, whereas you would destroy her.”

Sebastian winced. His face suddenly flushed as he realized how things must have looked to Rawlings, though he still hated him, he understood.

“Absolute scandal for the righteous Duke of Tempest, don’t you think?” Rawlings muttered.

“Well then,” Nicholas announced. “Shall we find Emma and let her know you both are still breathing?”

Much was still left to be said.

Rawlings made eye contact with Sebastian. “Later,” he said, before leaving the outskirts of the room.

Sebastian waited while Nicholas shook his head and finally in a fit of rage smashed his fist into the nearby table. “Want to tell me just what’s gotten into you, Seb? One minute you’re lying and using my cousin by marriage in the lie, which I will add I had a part in only because I saw the attraction between you two. But now I hear she doesn’t even know you want to marry her? You haven’t made your intentions clear? Is that not what tonight was all about?”

“It seems I’ve made a cake of myself,” Sebastian admitted.

“I’ll say,” Nicholas muttered alongside him.

“Do you have an idea where my future bride has run off to?”

Nicholas stopped walking. “I don’t agree with how you’ve handled things. Emma was nearly in tears when I talked with her.”

Guilt punched Sebastian hard in the gut. “She’ll know soon enough. Can you not understand I had to be certain of her feelings?”

Nicholas avoided eye contact. “Sure of her feelings or sure of yours, old friend?”

Sebastian didn’t know how to answer.

“Life has been anything but easy for Emma.”

“Yes, yes. I know all about it. Sara wrote to me of some sort of tragedy Emma went through in her earlier years. What happened? Did her horse die? Did some reckless boy poke fun at her when she challenged him to a race?”

“The full story was never mine to hear, but I would suggest you talk with Emma before the night’s end. I can’t be sure, but I do believe it has something to do with her not marrying until now.”

“I’ll discuss it with her immediately.”