скачать книгу бесплатно
“When you next call on me, I will explain myself to you completely,” Elysse said. Even as she spoke, a little voice inside her head told her she was going too far, and she would regret it when he called.
“I will call on you tomorrow,” he said instantly. “With your permission, of course.”
“And I will be waiting with bated breath,” she responded gaily.
After two more dances, she had to beg off, in order to catch her breath. As she stood by a table filled with dessert trays, she caught Montgomery’s eye from across the room. He smiled at her and she smiled back. They’d already danced two times and he had been wonderful, light and quick on his feet. More importantly, his regard had been warm and intent. Perhaps Alexi was right—perhaps he was seriously interested in her. Why shouldn’t she encourage him? He was a seafaring man and she was the daughter of a naval captain. Her father seemed to like him—everyone seemed to like him—and she did not need to marry a fortune, as she had one of her own.
Pain still throbbed in her breast—in her heart—and threatened to erupt if she were not very, very careful.
She walked over to the tray of champagne, wondering if she dare take another flute, wishing desperately to genuinely be happy and gay. Then she could truly enjoy the ball and her suitors. But she felt unsteady in her heels. Surely the champagne would chase the need to cry away. In the past, a glass or two had always made her feel merry. Why couldn’t she feel merry now?
As she reached for a glass, a hand closed on her wrist. “You have had enough,” Alexi warned.
He had come up behind her. She slipped around in such a manner that, for a moment, she was in his arms, her breasts crushed against his chest. His eyes widened. She stared, challenging him silently to deny her attributes. He stepped backward, away from her.
Somehow she knew she had made him uncomfortable. She smiled, pleased. She would never let him see how hurt she was. She was the reigning belle of the ball—the debutante every bachelor wanted—a woman with too many admirers to count and no other cares at all. Surely, he could see that! “I must disagree, Alexi,” she said sweetly. “You may instruct Ariella and Dianna on how much they may or may not drink, but not me.” She smiled archly at him.
His stare narrowed. “Are you crying?”
Was there moisture on her lashes? “Of course not,” she said gaily. Ignoring the pain bubbling in her chest, she smiled as coyly as possible. “Have you suddenly realized that I am a grown woman? Have you noticed how many admirers I have? Have you come to queue up for a dance with me?” And unthinkingly—instinctively—she touched his cheek with her nails and skidded them lightly across his skin there.
He jerked his face back. “I do not want a dance!” He seized her hand, stilling it. “You are inebriated. You need to go home.”
“I’ve only had a glass or two and I am enjoying myself immensely. Aren’t you? Have you even danced a single time?” The pain had miraculously dulled. Alexi was angry with her—and she was pleased.
“No, Elysse, I haven’t danced and I don’t intend to. Cease this absurd pretense! You are going home.” He was final.
“I am not inebriated and I am not going home.” Then she slowly smiled. “Not unless you are offering to take me? Could you so desperately desire my company, the way every other man does?” She lifted her other hand and stroked his cheek. “Oh, wait, I forgot—you are shackled to Louise.”
His eyes were even wider now, his cheeks even redder. “It is Louisa, and I am not shackled to anyone. Are you flirting with me? Would you dare?”
“I flirt with everyone, remember?” she murmured, stepping closer to him. Her chest brushed his satin lapels and she heard his breath catch. She knew a woman’s sense of triumph. He was hardly indifferent to her now! She ignored her own racing pulse. “I am a reckless flirt—no, wait, I am a harlot. You said so, remember? I suppose that makes me just like your paramour!”
“I said you flirt like a harlot,” he said grimly, seizing her shoulders and putting a good distance between them. “Jack can take you home.”
“Like hell he can,” she said softly, swaying against him again.
This time, he did not move away. Elysse thought a fire burned between them. He finally said, “You are making a fool of yourself.”
“Why? Because every eligible man here wants me? Except, of course, for you.” She laughed at him again. “You are immune to my charms…aren’t you? That is why you are breathing so oddly!”
He inhaled. A terrible pause ensued. He finally said roughly, shifting to put a distance between them, “What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing is wrong with me. I am simply enjoying this ball, as one hardly knows when we will have another one. But what is wrong with you, Alexi? Why do your eyes burn like that? Surely—surely—you aren’t filled with desire for me? I am a spoiled and selfish princess, after all. Or does that make you my prince? Are you my Prince Charming, Alexi? If so, I imagine you will sweep me into your arms! Oh, wait. That’s impossible—I forgot—you are a boor, not a prince!”
“You are truly drunk,” he said. “Like a sailor, Elysse. You are going home.”
“No, I am not.” She saw Montgomery approaching, his expression concerned. Montgomery clearly did not like Alexi manhandling her. He was her hero and protector now! “I can’t go home, because I promised William a walk in the gardens. Have you noticed how lovely the moon is tonight? They call it a lover’s moon, Alexi. In case you didn’t know.” She had never made such a promise, but a walk with him outside was exactly what she intended now.
His stare was disbelieving. “Are you acting this way to thwart me? Or just because you gain so much pleasure from playing the coquette?”
She laughed at him, stepping past him and holding out her hand to Montgomery. “I am enjoying a wonderful country ball, and now, I am about to enjoy a walk in the moonlight with my very favorite suitor.”
“Are you all right?” Montgomery asked, looking back and forth between them.
“We are having a family argument.” Elysse beamed at him, taking his arm. “Alexi is practically a brother to me, after all. Surely he has told you that?”
Montgomery glanced at Alexi again. When he looked back at Elysse, his gaze softened. “Do you need some fresh air, Elysse?”
“I should love some fresh air,” she responded, looping her arm tightly in his. As she did, she stole a look at Alexi.
He was angry, of that there was no doubt. “She should go home,” Alexi said to Montgomery, his tone hard.
“I’ll see her home when she is ready to go,” the American returned flatly.
Alexi made a harsh sound. Elysse looked back and forth between both men and knew they were fighting over her. She wished she was thrilled. Alexi deserved everything he got tonight. But instead, she felt the hurt all over again. “Let’s go,” she whispered to William.
Alexi gave her a dark, warning look. Then he turned and stalked away.
“Are you sure you are all right?”
“I am having a lovely time,” she told him, forcing a smile. “Aren’t you?”
He smiled at her, guiding her across the ballroom and out of it. “I am having a good time now. I must say, I wasn’t enjoying myself very much while you were dancing with all those other gentlemen.”
His gaze was serious and searching. He truly liked her—perhaps he even loved her. She had been so wrapped up in Alexi’s return that she had failed to realize just how handsome and charming William was. “You don’t have to be jealous,” she said.
He pushed open a door to the terrace. Because it was late March, it remained chilly at night and no one else was outside, even if the moon was mostly full and very bright. “Not even of Alexi?”
She faltered. “Of course not!”
“Good. Elysse, when I am with you, it is the best time of my life.”
She knew he meant it. She hesitated, recalling Alexi’s last, warning look before holding out her hand to him. He instantly took it and pressed it warmly to his mouth. She suddenly tensed. It was a moment before he released her hand.
She glanced at the terrace doors. Of course, Alexi would not follow them outside, not after that last look he’d given her.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
When she nodded, he took off his tailcoat and slipped it over her shoulders. His hands lingered. “I don’t want to take advantage of you, Elysse. But I am very fond of you.”
“You can’t take advantage of me,” she whispered, wondering if he was going to declare himself. She so needed a declaration of love now. She gazed into his eyes. Alexi was so wrong about him.
“I am glad to hear that. When you smile like that, a man might think it an invitation.”
Her glance strayed past him again. No one was watching them. She did not want to think of Alexi, not now or ever again. Should she encourage Montgomery to kiss her? Why not? He was the perfect suitor—it had just taken her a very long week to realize it! “Perhaps it is an invitation,” she managed.
He studied her and said softly, “I would like to court you, Elysse. My intentions are truly honorable ones.”
She trembled. “You may court me, William.”
He touched her chin, tilting up her face slightly, forcing their gazes to meet. “Good. I will speak with your father tomorrow about a proper suit.”
She didn’t know why she tensed. Her mind raced incoherently. Alexi’s image swam there. But this was what she wanted! “My father has always wanted a love match for me,” she finally said.
His eyes widened and he grasped her shoulders. “Are you saying that you love me?”
She hesitated, well aware that she did not love William—not yet. But she wanted his suit—desperately. Yet she must not lead him on. “I am becoming very fond of you,” she finally said.
He murmured, “Let’s walk out of the house lights.”
She wasn’t certain they should walk into the shadows at the edge of the terrace. But he smiled, taking her hand. “I want to kiss you, Elysse, and I don’t want to be interrupted,” he said softly. “Can you blame me? You are the most beautiful woman in Ireland—and you have just agreed to allow my suit.”
Should she allow him a kiss? Elysse paused, knowing Alexi would be furious if he learned of such behavior. Would a real kiss hurt? Hadn’t she enjoyed being in his arms on the dance floor? And Montgomery loved her—it was so obvious.
Realizing she had acquiesced, he led her across the terrace to the far side, where it was cast in shadow. He had a firm grasp on her arm, and she realized he meant to walk down the three steps onto the lawns. Suddenly she was confused. Did she really want to step so far away from the house?
“You are so beautiful,” he said. And then he caught her face in his hands and kissed her slowly and gently on the lips.
Elysse felt her tension soar. She had never been genuinely kissed. His mouth was very firm but gentle. It was pleasant, but not stunning. When Alexi had touched her in the library last week, her heart had exploded with desire. There was no such explosion now.
Tears butted up against her closed lids. Was this really happening? What was she doing?
“I love you,” he said thickly. “You are a dream come true.”
Elysse met his smoldering gaze and her heart raced. He loved her. He was a good man. Surely she could come to love him in return?
He suddenly put his arm around her. She thought he meant to kiss her again, but she found herself stepping down onto the lawns with him. He took her in his arms and kissed her again.
This time, his mouth was insistent, moving over hers again and again, and somehow she knew he wished for her to open her lips. She held firm, aware that she wasn’t ready, but she reached up for his shoulders. He grunted, the sound very male and shockingly sexual.
Some alarm began. They should stop—he had had his kiss.
But his grasp on her tightened. His mouth moved more roughly, more determinedly, on hers. His kisses were becoming frightening. She wanted to tell him that they should stop, but he loved her. She hesitated. Instead, before she could speak, his tongue thrust deep.
Alarm began as his heavy tongue filled her mouth. What was she doing? She choked. She did not want to be kissed like this! He was a stranger! She pushed at his shoulders, becoming very frightened now, but he didn’t notice.
Fear turned into panic. She told herself that the kiss would soon end—wouldn’t it? And he did love her. But one hand clasped her buttock and pulled her close, and she felt his stiff manhood against her hip. She had never felt that part of a man’s anatomy before, and she wanted to protest, her fear escalating. Instead, she froze.
Still holding her intimately, he broke the fierce kiss. “I love you,” he said, panting.
Before Elysse could protest and tell him that they must go back inside, he swept her back into his embrace, this time taking her down to the wet grass with him.
As his huge body covered hers, Elysse seized his shoulders to press him away—to push him off. Instead, his mouth tore at hers, his breathing heavy and harsh. She felt his hand move beneath her dress and underclothes to clasp her bare breast.
“William!” she somehow cried, but his kiss covered the sound of panic and protest. His arms were like a vise, his body like a clamp. She didn’t know how his huge thighs had gotten between hers. Her skirts seemed to be tangled up around her knees. What was he doing? She couldn’t do this!
And then she felt his hand high up on her thighs, beneath her skirts, only a thin soft layer of cotton between her and him. She bucked and twisted wildly now, desperate.
And suddenly Montgomery wasn’t on top of her anymore.
Elysse saw a blur of movement—and then Alexi was throwing Montgomery aside, his face a mask of rage.
She cried out. He had come to rescue her! She scrambled to stand up as Montgomery turned. Alexi tackled him viciously, head-on. Both men went down to the ground, struggling. Alexi was now on top, pummeling him furiously. She knew he meant to kill him. But Montgomery seized his throat.
Elysse screamed. “Stop! Both of you—stop!”
Alexi glanced at her, the American still choking him. Montgomery used the moment to jerk his knee up at his groin. Alexi twisted quickly away from the blow, and as he did, Montgomery thrust him off, and scrambled aside. Both men leaped to their feet simultaneously, crouching, facing one another.
“I am going to kill you,” Alexi said.
Montgomery said, “I am going to marry her.”
Elysse choked. What had she done?
Alexi suddenly looked at Elysse, his eyes hard and furious. “Are you all right?” he demanded. But his gaze widened as it held hers. She knew her hair was a mess. She thought her lip was bleeding. His gaze slammed down her body and she cringed. She was fairly certain that her dress was askew, possibly torn, and covered with grass stains.
She backed up, panting. She would never be all right, ever again. How had she allowed Montgomery such liberties? What had she been thinking? Why had he turned into such a beast?
“Elysse!” Alexi cried.
Elysse met his gaze, and felt the tears begin in a flood. She wanted to rush into his arms. He had been right. Montgomery wasn’t a gentleman. He had touched her, kissed her, grossly violating her body. She choked and staggered to the wall, to cling to it or fall down.
“I would never hurt her,” Montgomery said harshly. “I would never hurt the woman I love.”
Alexi said softly, dangerously, “Did you think to seduce her to assure that marriage? Don’t you know I would kill you first?”
Montgomery looked at Elysse. “If I hurt you, I am sorry.”
She shook her head, hating him. More tears fell. She trembled, the urge to vomit sudden and intense. “That wasn’t a kiss,” she heard herself whisper. “You touched me.”
“You fucking bastard,” Alexi growled.
Montgomery smiled coldly. “Get lost, de Warenne. I will take care of Elysse now. She is merely a frightened virgin.”
“No!” Elysse cried, horrified at the idea of being left alone with him again. But Alexi was oddly silent—and she saw the knife in Montgomery’s right hand. She froze. It gleamed.
“Leave us,” Montgomery said. “I need to speak to Elysse alone. She needs to understand how a man can become so aroused that he loses all control.”
She felt even sicker now. She had been fooled by Montgomery’s charm, his declarations of love. A true gentleman—a man like Alexi—would never force himself on any woman.
“Leave the two of you? Like hell.” Alexi smiled dangerously. He began circling the American. Montgomery turned, so that the two men continued to face one another.
And Elysse knew her presence was forgotten by them both. This had to stop, she thought frantically, before someone was seriously hurt—or worse! Elysse cried, “Alexi, I am fine. No one is marrying anyone! Let’s go home! You can take me home now!” She heard how terrible she sounded, sobs choking her tone.
Alexi launched himself at Montgomery, reaching for his right wrist. Elysse screamed, afraid that the American would stab him with the knife. But the blow glanced off of Alexi’s shoulder, and Alexi seized his wrist. Both men now strained at one another, their expressions murderous, Montgomery wanting to get free so he could wield the knife and Alexi not daring to release him.
Suddenly Montgomery grunted and dropped the knife. Alexi dived for it. Montgomery dived for Alexi, tackling him from behind. Elysse screamed as both men became entangled, wrestling on the ground, making it impossible to see what was happening. She thought Alexi had the knife. She wasn’t certain. She prayed it would get kicked away from them both!
