Page 32 of Heart of Iron
“His loyalty is to Blade.If he allowed me to come to any harm he’d have to explain it to him.And Honoria.”
“Hmm.”Adele settled back on the seat, snuggling in wearily.“I’ll stake a hundred pounds that you’re wrong.”
“And how do we prove that?”she asked tartly.“I’m not about to ask him.”
Adele’s eyes closed.A little smile played around her lips.“Because next time, I’m certain that he’ll kissyou.”
***
The door to Lord Harker’s private study slammed open.
Colchester looked up over the rim of his glass.His gaze raked Cavendish, from the rumpled collar of his coat to the seething fury in his eyes.If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a large bruise forming against the other man’s throat.
“What the devil happened?Surely she didn’t put up that much of a fight?”
Cavendish shot him a filthy look and crossed to the liquor decanter.“You forgot to mention she had protection.”He splashed a liberal dash of blud-wein into a glass and drained it.
“Protection?”Colchester asked silkily.His eyes lifted again to that bruise.“What manner of protection?”
Cavendish lowered the glass and muttered, “Nothing.”
Colchester eased to his feet, tossing aside the newspaper he’d been reading.Below, the ball was still in full swing by the sound of it, yet he had little intention of joining the swirling throng.No, he had other plans.
Plans that Cavendish just might have ruined.
“I thought you were a blue blood, Cavendish.Not a puling human.I asked you to ruin the girl and you couldn’t even handle that.”He sneered, circling the other man.“Did she beat you with her reticule?Or was there more than one of them?A whole flock of debutantes to frighten you—”
An angry gleam turned Cavendish’s eyes to shadows.“I’d like to see you take on the Beast.Seems your little bitch has gone and got herself a filthy verwulfen to watch her back.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Cavendish sneered.“Probably plundering the girl right now, as we speak.Seems you’re not going to get your hands on that one after all.”
Colchester had him by the throat before he realized it.“Whitechapel’s Beast?”
Cavendish struggled to nod.
Shock sliced through him.The little bitch.Thought she could find a protector, did she?As Cavendish made a strangled sound, Colchester dropped him and stepped away, raking the glasses off the tray.Glass smashed across the floor, littering the carpets.Lena was his.But if she’d polluted herself with one of those filthy creatures then she was no longer fit to be his thrall.By God he’d make her regret this act.
Cavendish slumped against the table, watching him warily.“What are you going to do?”he asked, and Colchester realized he’d spoken out loud.
Bad enough that the rest of the Council sought to ally themselves with these creatures.Now one of them moved to steal his thrall right out from underneath his nose.That, if nothing else, made him want her even more.
He smiled.Darkly.“Let me deal with it.I’ll make her regret it.”Flicking glass off his sleeve, he turned toward the door.“I’ll make them both regret it.”
Seven
“Come in.”
Will shot a look down the hall, his booted heels muffled on the Turkish runner.He could sense Lena in the house somewhere, but not nearby.Which suited him perfectly for the moment.
Slipping inside the study, he closed the door behind him.Morning light spilled through the windows.An ungodly hour of the morning, in fact.He’d barely slept, his mind replaying every scene from the night before.As soon as he grew close to the edge of sleep, the memory of Lena’s fear scent would sweep through him and his eyes would jerk open again.He needed to know more.Especially about the one name that frightened her.
Barrons looked up from his desk, his dark eyes widening slightly.“Will.”He leaned back in his chair, his progress marked by the shifting of well-oiled leather.Dressed in a black velvet coat, the only sign of color was the spill of white lace at his wrists and throat.A little ruby pin winked against the lace.“You do realize the price on your head isn’t lifted until you sign the prince consort’s document?”He lifted a sheaf of papers, frowning.“Which is right here, I believe.”
Will crossed his arms over his chest.“What d’you know about a man named Colchester?”
“Colchester?”Barrons’s hands stilled on the paper.“He used to be a friend, until I orchestrated the duel between his cousin Vickers and Blade.Why do you ask?”
