Loving The Lost Duke (Dangerous Deceptions #1)(65)
‘All right, I admit it. All of it.’
‘Even the sheep?’ Flynn asked and got a murderous glare in response.
‘But you can’t say anything, not and keep her name out of it.’ He jerked his head at Sophie and Cal growled, deep in his chest.
‘Is that American friend of yours still docked in Bristol, Jared?’
‘Oh yes, he’ll be there for a week or so getting stocked up for his voyage to the East Indies. Are you thinking what I think you are? Hand over this fine, hardworking crew member to him?’
‘You can’t do that!’ Jonathan made a dive for the door. Cal caught him by the collar and lifted him, gasping and struggling.
‘Do you the world of good. Captain Lucas runs a tight ship, lots of invigorating work and the lash for shirkers. Very colourful area, you’ll enjoy it. Head-hunters, an entire text book of tropical diseases, typhoons, pirates. Big rough, very frustrated sailors who will welcome a beautiful young shipmate with open arms.’ He dumped Jonathan on the floor and left him scrabbling at his neckcloth in an effort to breathe. ‘Flynn, take him and lock him in his room and tell the servants that he is unwell and must not be disturbed. I’d tie him to the bed if I were you. Oh, and take a loaded pistol with you. Jared – can you get him to Bristol tomorrow, early? You’d best take Flynn along. Ask Wilkins in the stables to sort you out a carriage and some grooms who’ll keep their mouths shut.’
Cal waited until Flynn and Hunt dragged the struggling and protesting Jonathan through the door then closed it behind them. ‘Aren’t you going to beg for mercy for him? He was your first lover, after all.’
So, he was angry with her. Sophie thought she could hardly blame him. ‘No. he is a menace to women, condemned out of his own mouth. If this came to court he would go to prison for years, as it is, he has a chance. If he works hard for that captain he might be able to start a new life in the East.’
‘But you couldn’t trust me with this, could you, Sophie? You took a chance on telling me half the story, that you were not a virgin, and you judged rightly that it made no difference to me. But you kept the rest from me, you lied to me on Ludgate Hill, you had no faith that you could let me help and protect you. I wasn’t looking for love in this match, you know that. But I was hoping for honesty.’
Chapter Twenty - Where Sophie Keeps Her Pearls On
So Jonathan has won after all. I love this man who doesn’t want my love and I could not trust him when trust was what he needed. But she had to try.
‘I thought that if I told you, you would kill him in a duel. You are the Lost Duke, with gossip swirling around you from that long absence. Probably you would not be hanged for killing a man in a duel, but how could I be certain? And then, when I discovered that someone was trying to kill you, how did I know they would not take advantage of such a situation, fabricate evidence, perhaps, to condemn you?’
‘In other words, you were protecting me?’ Cal enquired, looking every inch the duke, from the scorn in his voice to the rigid lines of his face.
‘It was my error in the first place, my lack of judgment. It was for me to deal with.’
‘Sophie, you are betrothed to me. I protect what is mine. If I cannot do that, I am less of a man than I should be.’
‘I have wounded your pride, for which I apologise.’ Her tone was not conciliatory, but she was as angry as he was now. Male pride be damned. Why should I fight to save this marriage? ‘I assume you wish to call off the engagement? I will explain to all and sundry that I found myself over-faced by the splendour of this place, unable to meet the high standards expected of the wife of a duke. You will receive much sympathy, I am sure.’
‘I had not thought you a coward, Sophie. Nor cruel – what will Isobel think? She has lost her mother, now you do not feel you can take on that role.’
‘I could be very happy raising Isobel as my daughter. But spending my life married to you? I think not.’
‘You will marry me, Sophie. You have got too close, you know too many secrets. Besides, I want you, and we dukes, we get what we want, do we not?’
‘It would appear so. How do you intend to force me?’
‘Who said anything about force? You told me that you would regret lying with me before our wedding day. Well, you have been lying to me, Sophie, so I think you will lie with me now, regrets or not. You are no lightskirt, you expect to marry the men you sleep with.’
‘You intend to force me?’
‘No, Sophie. I intend to seduce you tonight. Not now, we have kept our guests waiting quite long enough for their luncheon, don’t you think?’ He went to the window and threw it open, then jerked the bell-pull, waiting in silence until Mary appeared. ‘A cat got in through the window with a bird that it caught. It has created chaos and Miss Wilmott was hurt falling over chasing it out. Clean it up, please – and mind the broken glass. Come along, Miss Wilmott.’
‘You – ’ She wrenched her arm away the moment they were out of the door. ‘You will not seduce me. I will not allow you to.’
Cal merely smiled.
The tale of the cat and the sparrow explained both the delay and Sophie’s ruffled appearance to the entire satisfaction of the group gathering around the luncheon table. Two young ladies declared themselves terrified of birds in the house, Lady Peter expressed her displeasure at a stable cat being allowed anywhere near the mansion and Sophie’s mother shook her head over the thought of her daughter chasing animals around her bedchamber in such a harum-scarum manner. ‘You should have rung for a footman, Sophie,’ she chided.