Page 47 of Somewhere I'll Find You
Damon made the decision for her, opening the carriage door and reaching inside. Her hand was caught in his, and she let him tug her from the vehicle. The footman rushed ahead of them to open the front door of the mansion, and they crossed the threshold into the quiet entrance hall. It must have been the servants' night off—there was no one in sight, and the place was dimly lit.
As soon as the door closed, Damon turned her in his arms and kissed her, his mouth urgent as it descended over hers. Julia shuddered in pleasure and stood on her toes to fit herself against him, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders. Damon moved his lips to whisper at her ear, something tender and erotic…but Julia stiffened as she saw a movement beyond him. Startled, she pushed at his chest and stared wide-eyed at the intruder. Turning his head, Damon looked as well.
A woman was coming down the stairs in a slow, deliberate saunter, her hips swaying gracefully. The folds of her thin gown, fashioned in transparent layers of peach, moved about her thighs and ankles like liquid. It was a seductive garment intended to ensnare a man's attention. She was barefoot, as if she had just arisen from bed and come to welcome unexpected guests.
“Pauline,” Damon muttered, sounding stunned.
Julia eased away from him, unconsciously smoothing her skirts. Even with the hard look in her eyes, Pauline was extraordinarily beautiful, her hair dark and silky as it tumbled down her back, her eyes slanted like a cat's.
“I thought to surprise you, darling,” Pauline said softly, seeming to be in utter command of the situation. “Little did I know that I would be the one surprised. I didn't expect that with everything so unresolved between us, you would be entertaining another woman tonight.” She reached the bottom of the stairs and folded her arms, causing her cleavage to swell enticingly. Her cool, amused gaze fell on Julia. “What has happened to you, my dear? You look terribly bedraggled…and the two of you reek of smoke.”
“A mishap at the theater,” Julia replied shortly.
“Ah.” Pauline looked back at Damon, arching her fine brows. “You've become quite a devotee of the theater lately, haven't you?”
“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked in a hard voice.
She looked wounded at his tone. One slim hand came to her stomach, reminding him of her delicate condition. “I thought we needed to talk…and since you wouldn't come to me, this seemed to be my only choice.” She looked once more at Julia. “Do run along, won't you? Damon and I require some privacy. I'm certain you can find some other man to satisfy your needs tonight.”
Julia's blood turned cold with fury and humiliation. She kept her face blank. “Certainly,” she replied in a controlled voice. “I'd like to get as far away from both of you as possible.”
“Wait,” Damon said, reaching for her arm, but she jerked away.
A satisfied smile crept across Pauline's face. It appeared that she couldn't resist one parting shot. “Mrs. Wentworth…perhaps you think you're becoming quite close to Lord Savage, but there's much about him you don't know. I suspect that among the things he has omitted to tell you is one very relevant fact—he is already married.”
Julia paused at the front door. “Yes, I know that,” she said calmly.
Pauline seemed surprised, and then her face wrinkled with disdain. “My God, you have the morals of a cat in heat. To throw yourself at a man who is married to one woman and has made another pregnant…you're the most shameless creature I've ever encountered.”
“Pauline—” Damon said in a murderous tone, but Julia interrupted evenly.
“Shameless?You'rethe one parading around a married man's home dressed in nothing but a peignoir.” She burned to tell the other woman the truth, thatshewas the wife in question, and that Pauline certainly had no right to pass judgment on anyone.
Somehow managing to hold her tongue, Julia strode to the front door and tugged it open. She paused to give Damon a backward glance, but he appeared to be ignoring her, all his attention focused on Pauline. Jealousy shot through her. She couldn't decide if she was more angry with him or with herself.
Hurrying outside, Julia called to the footman. “Tell the driver to bring back the carriage immediately. I wish to leave now.” As he hurried to obey, she rubbed her bare arms and began to shiver from the cool breeze. She thought of going home, but rejected the idea at once. There was someone she needed to see right now, the only person in the world who could restore her sanity and anchor her in reality.
Damon was silent for a long time, staring hard at Pauline until her victorious smile dimmed and she began to look uncomfortable. She spoke smoothly, making an effort to seem at ease. “I suppose I can't blame you for your dalliance with her, darling. She is rather attractive, albeit in a cheap, obvious way—”
“You shouldn't have come here.” Until this moment he had never actively disliked Pauline. He had been suspicious, exasperated, angry with her, but he had never felt anything that bordered on hatred before. She seemed like a millstone around his neck, clinging with ruthless determination, dragging him down to a very dark, cold place. She brought out the absolute worst in him. He stiffened as she came to him, pressing her perfumed body against his.
“I couldn't stay away from you,” Pauline murmured. “I've missed you so.”
“Have you spoken to Dr. Chambers yet?”
Her elusive gaze darted from his. “Not yet, I but I plan to very soon.” Her silky arms began to wind around his shoulders. “In the meanwhile—”
“Then I'll make the arrangements.” He pushed her back a step or two, breaking her hold on him. His handling of her was not rough, but neither was it gentle.
Pauline looked annoyed and alarmed. “You can't do that!”
“Why not?”
“Dr. Chambers is a very busy man—you can't order him about like a servant. And he won't discuss my condition with you unless I give my consent.”
“You're playing games with me,” he said with dangerous quietness. “I won't tolerate it.”
She drew back, looking offended. “There's no need to be so threatening. I've never seen this side of you before, and I find it quite disagreeable.”
