DefeatedbyLove (16 page)

“What is he doing here?” Daniel asked, irritated as Sir
Barnabas entered the Tarrants’ drawing room. All day he’d been silently cursing
the madness that had sent him to Harry’s room last night. The only thing that
could have made it worse was this dinner party and having to appear unaffected
by Harry’s return in a roomful of his oldest friends, who knew him too well to
be fooled. And now here was Barnabas.
Wonderful.

“Oh dear,” Christy said as she stood next to him, staring
wide-eyed at Barnabas.

“We often have Sir Barnabas to dinner,” Very said loftily,
gliding past him to welcome the other man. Barnabas heard her and raised a
brow, which Daniel interpreted to mean she was a bald-faced liar.

Very Tarrant was a beautiful woman. And quite formidable.
She was taller than the average woman, almost the same height as her husband,
although shorter than Michael Kensington. Daniel had unwillingly imagined how
that combination worked in bed. With her dark hair and porcelain skin and blue
eyes she was striking, and her voluptuous figure, made more so by motherhood,
caught many men’s eyes, though none here tonight. They’d all known her since
she was a young woman, barely old enough for the games she and Michael had
played before he’d run away. But more troubling than her looks was her devious
nature. She’d learned the art of deception from her uncles, Jason Randal and
Tony Richards. The two men were in love with Very’s Aunt Kate, one her husband
and one their lover, similar to Very’s situation with Tarrant and Kensington.
Very’s odd situation had come as no surprise to Daniel or anyone else who knew
them. After all, she’d watched her aunt’s happy union with two men and quite
naturally followed suit.

Daniel sighed. Clearly Very had mischief in mind for
tonight, as he’d suspected. But she didn’t care for Barnabas, and her chilling
greeting for Harry indicated there was no love lost there either, though
Michael had tried to smooth that out. So what her motives could possibly be
Daniel had no idea. Perhaps she was going to poison both at dinner.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Barnabas said politely. “Duty called.”

“Of course,” Very said, sliding her arm through his. Her
husband Wolf glared at her. He loathed Barnabas. He’d worked for him during the
war, as had Daniel and Simon, but Wolf blamed Barnabas for his own descent into
his private madness before Michael had pulled him out.

Very led Barnabas directly over to Harry. “I believe you two
know one another, don’t you? Sir Barnabas, Mr. Harry Ashbury, from America. Mr.
Ashbury, Sir Barnabas James, of the Home Office.”

Harry slowly stood up and he was taller than Barnabas. He
hadn’t been during the war. “James,” he said without offering a hand.

“Ashbury,” Barnabas said, amusement in his voice and on his
face. If he meant it to be an insult, Harry took no notice. He simply sat back
down and smiled over at Daniel. Awkward silence reigned in the drawing room for
several moments. When it became clear bloodshed was not imminent, Very pouted
and turned to introduce Barnabas around.

“So that’s her plan,” Simon said, sidling up to his side to
whisper in his ear. “She wants them to kill each other.”

“I daresay she’ll be disappointed,” Daniel said, sipping his
whiskey when he wanted to take huge gulps. “Barnabas doesn’t care for such
obvious displays, and Harry doesn’t give a damn.”

Simon laughed quietly. “I have never known you to be so
dense. What a great fool you are.”

Daniel looked over at him sharply. “What do you mean?”

“Simply by showing up Barnabas has made a very obvious
declaration, and Harry has not taken his eyes off you since our arrival. It’s
Portugal all over again.” He glanced around the room. “Haven’t you noticed
they’ve all taken sides?” Simon sounded positively gleeful. “This is going to
be so much fun.”

Daniel followed his gaze and was appalled to discover Simon
was right. Michael and Wolf were standing beside Harry’s chair, both glaring at
Very, and several of their friends from the war, including Jason and Tony,
stood behind them. Very glared over her shoulder at her men as she led Barnabas
about the room. There was a no-man’s-land in the middle of the room and several
guests milled about there, uncomfortably watching the proceedings. Quite a few
of his friends who had never known Harry were clearly on Very’s side, or
Barnabas’, which was the same side apparently. The silly girl. Did she honestly
think Barnabas cared about her defense of his affections?

“Good evening, Daniel. How are you?” He turned to see Ian
Witherspoon and Derek Knightly and Ian’s lovely wife Sophie standing behind
him. They made an odd trio, with Ian’s blond Adonis looks and aristocratic
bearing, Sophie’s pixie face and petite build, and Derek’s dark, hulking,
choking masculinity.

“Good evening,” Ian said to Christy with an inquiring look
at Daniel.

“Mrs. Ashbury, may I introduce Mr. Ian Witherspoon and his
wife, Sophie. And this is Mr. Derek Knightly.”

“How do you do?” Christy said politely.

“Harry Ashbury’s wife?” Derek demanded. He gave Daniel an
odd look. “I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

“Whatever you’re guessing, stop,” Daniel said in disgust.
“Why must your minds go there immediately?”

Derek shrugged and then turned to glare at both sides of the
room. “Oh, good Lord,” Daniel said with a sigh. “You’re going to stand here as
my champions, aren’t you? And here I was thinking the evening couldn’t possibly
get any worse.”

Sophie tried to hide her laughter. “Yes, we rather thought
we would. You looked quite lonely over here as the prize of battle.”

“Sophie,” Derek rumbled in unmistakable warning.

Sophie ignored him. She was a tiny little thing with red
hair and big, innocent blue eyes, and she had the big man wrapped around her
little finger. “Daniel obviously needs defending,” she argued. “It isn’t as if
he can take care of himself, or was a dangerous spy once or anything of the
like,” she whispered with mock innocence. “Why, just look at the poor dear.”

Daniel laughed for the first time that evening. “Thank you,
my dear. Perspective is everything in these situations.”

“All the same,” Ian said calmly, smoothing tempers as was
his wont, “we shall stand with you, old man. Wherever you wish to go, we shall
clear the way.”

Daniel bowed. “Much appreciated. Send Derek first. He can
clear a room rather well.”

“Ha,” Derek said, though without rancor. “People love me.
It’s well known that I should have entered politics.”

“Only if you entered fists first,” Simon observed.

“That’s what I meant,” Derek said. Sophie laughed again and
Derek looked very pleased with himself for making her do so.

“Well,” another voice said from behind them with false
cheer. “This is awkward.”

“Dr. Peters,” Sophie said politely. “How good to see you.”
Her voice said something else, something that made Daniel turn to look at his
old friend. He sighed when he saw his disheveled appearance and bloodshot eyes.
He held a tumbler full of whiskey and took a drink under their scrutiny. It was
obviously not his first of the evening.

“Quite awkward,” Daniel agreed. He’d let Peters slide
lately. He’d known the good doctor was having some troubles. All related to the
war, no doubt. He’d seen more than most, hadn’t he? It had taken years for it
to finally take its toll. He’d confessed to Daniel months ago that he tried not
to sleep anymore, because he was so tired of the dreams. And Daniel had ignored
his cry for help and wallowed in his own misery.

Just then the butler came to the door. “Dinner, madam,” he
said to Very.

Everyone jumped up as if given leave to escape and a mad
rush for the door ensued, protocol forgotten. Harry came over and gave his arm
to Christy and Simon looked put out, though he hadn’t offered to escort her.
Daniel let them all go before him. He had no desire to get to the dining room
quickly. A short respite from prying eyes was welcome.

At last Daniel took hold of the doctor’s arm and steered him
toward the door and out into the hallway, where he was greeted by the sight of
Harry and Barnabas circling one another in the vestibule. Most of the other
guests had already entered the dining room but several were wandering back out
to watch the theatrics.

“Back from America?” Barnabas was saying. “You should have
stayed. I can easily find you passage back.”

“I’m sure you could,” Harry said politely, but his narrowed
eyes belied his calm voice. “But this time I don’t believe I’ll accept your
travel arrangements.”

“You were all too eager to accept them in Portugal,”
Barnabas observed mildly.

“That is a lie.” There were gasps from several guests at the
insult.

“It is true that I feel no compunction not to lie, but in
this case I am not. We both know you were too cowardly to stay and face Daniel
after your betrayal.”

“Oh God,” Daniel groaned under his breath. “Could you both
manage to behave yourselves?” he snapped at the two of them. “You are
needlessly dredging up silly old misunderstandings that have no relevance now
and making fools of yourselves. And me,” he added with emphasis.

“He started it,” Harry said, standing on the opposite of the
wide hall from Barnabas. They both stood with their backs to the wall, facing
off.

“No one brought pistols, did they?” Dr. Peters asked with
resignation. “I don’t think I’m up to digging pistol shot out of anyone
tonight.”

“What is going on?” Very demanded as she stood, arms akimbo,
in front of the gathering crowd at the doors to the dining room. “Dinner is
served.”

“This is your fault,” Daniel shot back at her.

“You’ll be going back,” Barnabas said with insulting
confidence, ignoring their audience. “You haven’t the nerve to stay.”

“I’ll be staying,” Harry countered from between clenched
teeth. “You’ll be the one who won’t be welcomed back.”

“I will be welcomed back with open arms,” Barnabas taunted
him.

Daniel was incredulous. Harry had shown almost no temper
since his arrival and he was now a seething mass of anger. The air around him
nearly shimmered with it. And Barnabas, taunting someone? It was unheard of.

“I am not the foolish boy who let you bully me back in
Portugal,” Harry said. “You hide behind your silly spy games and pretend to be
a gentleman while everyone here knows the truth. You drove me out of Portugal
for your own benefit.”

“Spoken like the spoiled, deceitful little brat who ran away
and hid in self-imposed exile,” Barnabas drawled. “How predictable you are.”

Without warning a knife flew across the hallway and embedded
itself in the wall mere inches from Barnabas’ ear. Barnabas didn’t even flinch.

“Where the hell did that come from?” Daniel demanded.

Harry looked contrite. “I couldn’t help it,” he said. “He’s
just so unlikeable. It was an unthinking reaction.”

“He had it strapped to his back,” Barnabas said, calmly
turning and pulling it out of the wall. He opened his jacket and slid the knife
into a sheath strapped under his arm, right next to an identical knife. “And
now he is unarmed.” He closed his jacket. “He may have learned a thing or two
in America, but he’s still stupid and predictable.”

“Was that a knife?” Very shrieked. She ran over and examined
the hole in the wall and then pointed at Harry. “You will fix this. I just had
new wallpaper hung.”

“Madam, I do not do wallpaper,” Harry said simply. He smiled
at Barnabas. “And I am not unarmed.”

Daniel pursed his lips and marched to the dining room,
dragging Dr. Peters with him. He refused to look at either man. The crowd
parted for him like the Red Sea.

“Oh, Harry,” Christy said angrily from the doorway.
“Really.”

“If I had wanted to kill him, he’d be dead,” Harry said
defensively. “He’s just so irritating.”

Simon coughed beside them, but Harry clearly heard the
laughter behind it. “So he is,” Simon agreed. “But no more knives, eh?”

“Hand over your weaponry,” Mrs. Tarrant demanded, holding
out her hand.

“I will not,” Harry told her. Before she could argue he held
up his hand for silence. “But I will promise not to attempt to kill him again
this evening. As long as we’re here, I mean.” It would be hard, but he could do
it.

“I think he means it,” Simon assured her.

“He is ruining the evening,” she said.

Wolf Tarrant glided up next to her. “Come along, my dear,”
he said, taking her arm. “Our other guests are waiting.” He turned to Harry and
gave him a stern look. “This is not Louisiana. We do not use our weapons at
dinner.”

“That includes your rapier wit,” Sir Barnabas drawled as he
walked past into the dining room.

“Can we use them over the port?” Harry asked hopefully.

“We’ll see how dinner goes,” Wolf offered with a half-grin.
Very glared at them both and marched back into the dining room.

“You know,” Michael said from the dining room doorway, “I’m
trying to get her to like you. You’re not helping.”

Harry shrugged. “She’ll come around. It takes people a while
to warm up to me.”

When he walked into the room he saw that Mrs. Tarrant, who
was directing the seating like a proper general, had assigned everyone seats.
Daniel was sitting on the far side of the table facing the door and pointedly
looked away when Harry smiled at him. Harry didn’t take it too hard. He had
made a major mistake with the knife incident but he’d recover. He watched Very
direct Simon to sit next to Daniel. Harry ignored her summons and quickly
walked over to the empty seat, racing against Simon who had no idea they were
competing for the chair. Simon started to sit down and Harry yanked the chair
out from underneath him. Simon nearly toppled ignominiously to his bottom
before he managed to catch his hand on the table and right himself. “What the
devil?” he exclaimed in shock.

Harry smiled at him pleasantly. “So sorry. I believe this is
my seat.” He kept a hold of the chair, dangling it over the floor.

“Fine,” Simon said, straightening his jacket with a tug.
“Next time, simply tell me you want to sit next to Daniel. I won’t fuss.”

“That is Simon’s seat,” Very said through clenched teeth,
glaring at Harry.

“Not anymore,” Harry said, setting the chair down and
sitting in it. “Let’s just pretend I’m an ignorant American now who doesn’t
know the seating protocol.”

“Very doesn’t have seating protocols,” Lady Kensington said
in her lilting French accent. Aurelie was even more beautiful dressed like a
lady than she’d been in Louisiana, where he’d seen her in a brothel barely
dressed. One would never guess her slave ancestry. She sounded distressed. “I
am in the conundrum. You saved my life in Louisiana,” she said, pointing at
Harry. “And you saved me here in London,” she said, pointing at Barnabas. “I
don’t know whose side I am supposed to be on.”

Daniel smiled at her, though Harry could tell he was
seething inside. “You should be on my side, my dear,” he told her. “After all,
I’m the innocent lamb stuck between these two rabid dogs.”

“Innocent?” Lady Kensington said with a wry look. “So we are
all pretending tonight, eh?”

Michael plopped down in his seat and put his forehead in his
hand as if he had a raging headache.

“My congratulations, Very ma dear,” Simon said from his new
seat across the table. Harry assumed that had been his seat, right between his
former commanders, Captain Randal and Captain Richards. Oh, Mrs. Tarrant was
cruel. “This is by far the best dinner party I have ever attended,” he
continued. “And we haven’t even gotten the first course yet.”

“Shouldn’t you be out romancing some unhappy wife and her
equally unhappy husband?” Sir Barnabas asked from Daniel’s left. He negligently
unfolded his napkin and set it in his lap, but Harry could see the wheels
turning behind his dark stare as he pinned Simon to his seat. “Bedding the
unhappy couple into wedded bliss? Isn’t that more your style?”

“Well,” Simon said with an exaggerated, innocent look, “even
angels of mercy have a night off now and then. I need to recuperate.”

Harry heard Christy choke and start to cough. He saw Daniel
kick Simon under the table.

“Oof,” Simon said, jerking his chair back. “Don’t kick me
under the table. I hate it when you do that.”

“And they say I’m an uncouth American,” Harry drawled,
taking a swig of his wine.

“You are,” Barnabas said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t have
uncouth Englishmen, too.”

“You would certainly know,” Harry drawled with a polite
smile.

Just then the doors opened and the servants stepped in with
the first course. Everyone became strangely quiet until Wolf waved them out of
the room after all had been served.

Harry had been sitting quietly back in his seat observing it
all. “Tarrant, married,” he said loudly. “I can hardly believe it. He didn’t
seem the sort. Too odd by far.” He knew he was baiting Wolf’s wife, but he
couldn’t resist.

Mrs. Tarrant slammed her fork down on her plate and began to
rise angrily. Her aunt, Lady Randal, put a hand on her arm and she sat back
down.

“What?” Harry asked, feigning innocence. There was so much
bad acting going on around the table this evening, they might as well be eating
at Drury Lane. “You should be thanking me,” Harry said, ignoring Daniel’s
glare. “If it weren’t for me Tarrant wouldn’t have looked twice at Kensington
or you.”

Mrs. Tarrant turned to Wolf in utter disbelief. “You and Ashbury?”
she asked incredulously.

“What? No!” Wolf denied it vehemently. “He didn’t interest
me. And besides, Daniel would have stabbed me in the eye just for looking
cross-eyed at him.”

“Oh?” Harry asked Daniel with interest. “You changed your
routine? I thought you were a throat-slitting man.”

“I feel faint,” Lady Randal said from Mrs. Tarrant’s end of
the table. Captains Randal and Richards immediately leaped to their feet in
alarm. Harry was still shocked over the peculiar developments here in London.
Tonight was his first opportunity to see all these threesomes that Michael had
described to him when they were in America. He hadn’t really believed him at
first. On his left Harry saw Daniel roll his eyes. Lady Randal had clearly
sounded more likely to take someone’s head off than faint.

“Head between your knees,” Harry told her. Captain Randal
gave him a look that would have killed a lesser man. “I’m not making it up,”
Harry protested. “That’s what you do when you feel faint. Ask the doctor.” He
pointed at Dr. Peters.

“Yes, that’s right,” the doctor said with a sigh. “Are you
going to hog the wine at that end of the table? I think this dinner is going to
require several more bottles all around.”

“And so I gutted him,” Harry finished his story of the now
infamous battle with the Pawnee warrior that had cost him an eye. Most of the
table was fascinated, even the ladies.

“If I have to hear that story again,” Simon drawled from
across the table, “I will take the other eye.”

“Hear, hear,” Daniel said.

“It’s a good story,” Very exclaimed. “How exciting life is
in America!”

Lady Kensington shivered. “Exciting is not always good,
mon
amie
.”

“You were foolish to be caught out in the open like that.”
Barnabas was swirling the wine in his glass and watching it rather than looking
at Harry.

“I was,” Harry surprisingly agreed. “I learned my lesson,
though it was a hard one. My partner found me, fixed me up, and taught me how
to defend myself.”

“Duly noted,” Barnabas said with a smile aimed at his glass
before he took a drink.

“Let’s adjourn to the drawing room, my dear,” Wolf said,
standing. The gentleman all stood and then followed the ladies out the door. A
hand on his arm slowed Daniel’s steps.

“Stay away from Sir Barnabas,” Jason whispered in his ear.
“He’s no good and you know it. The man has no honor.”

“Well, I don’t think—” Daniel began, but was interrupted.

“Harry is no better,” Tony whispered furiously from Daniel’s
other side. “Don’t forget he left you and his wife for ten years.
Ten years
,
Daniel.”

“He had no idea—” he started to protest, but was interrupted
again.

“You both need to leave him alone,” Derek said angrily. He
jerked on Daniel’s arm and pulled him back away from the other two. “He knows
what’s what. Harry is the man for him, no doubt.”

“Sir Barnabas has changed,” Ian argued, stepping up to his
other side. “He’s quite respectable now, and accepted in the best houses in
England. He’s a powerful man. Daniel could use protection like that.”

“I need protection?” Daniel asked incredulously.

“He can’t take Mr. Ashbury and leave poor Mrs. Ashbury alone
in her condition,” Sophie said, clearly scandalized at the suggestion.
“Whatever his feelings are, or Mr. Ashbury’s, to abandon the poor woman again
would be criminal.”

“She’s hardly a poor woman,” Daniel interjected. He was
ignored again.

“Sir Barnabas has staying power,” Tony argued. “I wasn’t in
favor of him before, but you can’t ignore the fact that he’s been in his
position for years and is well respected. Harry disappeared.”

“He was trying to get back here,” Daniel protested. He
stopped. Why was he defending Harry?

“I may not care for his behavior, running off to America
like that,” Jason argued with Tony, “but I trust a man who wore the uniform. He
served honorably. Sir Barnabas did not.”

“Then I did not either,” Daniel said loudly. He jerked his
arm from Derek’s and stopped walking. The entire group of interfering friends
herding him along came to stumbling halt, bumping into one another. “I served
under Sir Barnabas. Therefore my service was not honorable.”

Jason had the grace to blush. “Not true. You were only
carrying out his orders.”

“Also not true,” Daniel said wearily. He held up a hand as
they all started to speak at once. He looked over at the drawing room and saw
Harry standing in the doorway watching him. Barnabas was at the entry, taking
his hat and gloves from the butler. He saluted Daniel with his hat and left
without a word. How typical. Staying power indeed.

“This is not your decision to make and I did not ask for
advice,” Daniel told his friends firmly. He made a sharp turn and headed toward
the entryway. “And on that note, I am leaving.” He knew he ought to feel badly
for leaving Harry here on his own, but Harry had shown he was more than capable
of taking care of himself. “Stay out of my business,” he called behind him.

“You never stay out of ours,” Derek yelled back, sounding
rather put out.

“I will from now on,” Daniel vowed. He took his hat, plopped
it on his head and escaped.