Somewhere I'll Find You (Capital Theatre #1)(88)

Julia didn't want him, or the life he had offered her. He wished she were here at this moment, a readily available target for the derisive words he wanted to hurl at her. She was a fool for preferring a life on the stage to that of a duchess. Surely anyone would tell her that—even she must know it, despite her insistence on keeping her damned career.

Thoughts of revenge danced before him. He wanted to throttle her, bully her into accepting what he wanted…but she would never yield to him. She was too stubborn for that. Perhaps he would take some fresh-faced, blushing daughter of a peer as his wife, and bring her everywhere that Julia was certain to see her. He would make Julia jealous, flaunt his pretty young wife before her until Julia was eaten up with envy and regret. He would make her believe that the sham-marriage had meant nothing to him, that he considered himself well rid of her.

Pouring another glass, Damon drank in a search for oblivion that seemed just out of reach. The bitterness faded a little, and he stared at the papers before him until the words and letters were a jumble of foreign markings. Julia's voice drifted through his mind.

You would want me to give up everything I've worked for, everything I need to be happy…

If I were your wife, would you let me go wherever I chose, do whatever I pleased, with no questions or recriminations?…

Don't come back for me.

And the memory of Logan Scott's sardonic question, which stung even now. Can you give her everything she wants?

He thought of Julia in all her different guises. He had never met a woman who was so fascinating. For the, first time he began to understand that to imprison Julia in the gilded cage he had planned would be intolerable for her.

“Damon?” William's brusque voice heralded his entrance. Walking uninvited into the library, he flipped a sealed note onto the desk. “This just arrived from Bath.”

Damon stared at the letter without reaching for it. “Is it from Julia?”

“Oddly enough, the letter appears to be from her friend Arlyss Barry. I thought I would bring it to you before you're too drunk to read.”

“I already am,” Damon muttered, swilling from his glass once more. “You read it.”

“Very well,” William said cheerfully, “although you know how I hate to pry into other peoples' affairs.” Breaking the wax seal, he scanned the letter. The gleam of amusement left his eyes, and he shot Damon a wary glance.

“What does our Miss Barry say?” Damon asked, his voice surly.

William scratched the nape of his neck and shook his head doubtfully. “Considering your present state of mind, it might be better to discuss it later.”

“Tell me, damn you!”

“Very well. Miss Barry writes that although it's not her place to interfere, she feels compelled to inform you that she has learned of Jessica Wentworth's plans to marry Logan Scott…tomorrow.”

William flinched as Damon's half-full glass of brandy shattered against the wall behind him, sending a spray of amber drops and crystalline fragments everywhere. Damon lurched to his feet, breathing heavily.

“What are you going to do?” William asked gingerly.

“I'm leaving for Bath.”

“I think I should go with you.”

“Stay here.”

“Damon, I've never seen you like this before, and it scares the hell out of me. You should let me…” But before the last word had left William's lips, his older brother had departed the room with purposeful strides.

Chapter 12

There was usually a little extra magic in the air during a play's last performance. The actors were touched with a special glow as they went through their paces. The Bath audience was generous with its laughter and applause, becoming intensely involved in the story of My Lady Deception from the opening scene to the last.

Julia couldn't help but feel removed from the play tonight. Although she knew her performance was adequate, she couldn't seem to lose herself in the part as usual. Perhaps it was because she would marry Logan Scott tomorrow, linking her future to his in a permanent, if impersonal way. Her mind lingered on that fact even as she spoke and laughed and acted onstage.

By now Damon must have received the letter. What had he said? How had he felt? She wondered how it would be the next time she saw him, when she introduced herself as Logan Scott's wife. It was better for both of them, she thought…but practical reasons didn't ease the pain and worry she felt inside. If only things were different, if only…

The play concluded with long swells of applause, while the actors took their bows and acknowledged the flood of appreciation. Relieved when Logan finally led her off the stage, Julia pulled at her perspiration-dampened bodice and sighed.

Logan cast an assessing glance at her. “You look a bit fashed. Get a good night's rest,” he advised, knowing that the cast would try to persuade her to join them in an evening of lavish drinking and eating. “We'll take care of the ceremony tomorrow morning, before we leave for Bristol.”

Julia managed a wan smile. “More touring, more performances…it's not the usual sort of honeymoon, is it?”

He looked at her as if the thought hadn't occurred to him before. “Would you like a honeymoon?”

For a split second it was tempting to say yes. She would like to go somewhere exotic, a place she could relax and allow herself to forget everything, if only for a little while. However, the idea of going somewhere alone with Logan was unnerving. Besides, he would resent having to interrupt their schedule of touring for any reason, especially when he desired to oversee the reconstruction of the Capital Theatre.