Sweet Revenge (27 page)

The music must have ended, for on looking up, Arianna saw that the earl was steering their steps for a secluded spot between the marble colonnading and a display of tall potted palms. Grateful for a moment of respite, she took shelter in the leafy shadows.

“I regret that my words caused you pain,” began the earl after a moment of awkward silence.

“You must understand that my father was a dreamer, and in many ways naïve to the ways of the world,” interrupted Arianna. “He was generous, and trusting—perhaps to a fault.” The echo of a rich, baritone laugh danced unbidden across her consciousness. “If there is any truth to what you just told me, it would be because he was manipulated by his friends.”

“In fact,” she said slowly, “certain things are beginning to make more sense.”

“What makes you say that?” asked Saybrook. Though bladelike shadows cut across his face, making his expression impossible to discern, his voice was sharp with skepticism.

Don’t react,
she warned herself. But the words, bitter as bile, had already escaped her lips. “Because he was
murdered
, sir. Stabbed in a dark alley in Kingston Harbor and left to bleed to death in the filth and garbage. He managed to crawl back to our tavern room, but . . .”

“I am sorry. I didn’t know that.”

Aware that she had already revealed far more than she meant to, Arianna remained silent.

Saybrook turned slightly, his big body shielding her from the glittering lights and laughter. “I take it he told you who was responsible?”

“He said enough for me to figure it out on my own.” She steadied herself with a deep breath. “My father swore on his deathbed that he was innocent of the cheating charge, and I believe him. As for any other—”

A rustling of the leaves warned that someone was approaching.

“Lady Wolcott?” said a tentative voice.

It was Ashmun.

“Ah, here you are.” His hooded gaze lingered on the earl, and though the flickering light of the chandeliers did not quite penetrate the greenery, it caught the momentary pinch of a scowl. “Forgive me for intruding, but I believe we are slated for the next set, and I would be very disappointed to miss the pleasure of partnering you.”

Despite her misgivings about the man, she was not unhappy over the interruption. “Oh, there is no need for apologies. The earl and I were merely discussing a relative. But reminiscing can wait. I would much rather dance.”

“Excellent,” said Ashmun.

Saybrook yielded his place without objection. After a perfunctory bow, he turned and walked off.

In the direction of Lady Spencer, noted Arianna out of the corner of her eye. Whatever else his faults, the earl was a man of his word.

“I don’t mean to pry,” said Ashmun. “But it appeared as if the two of you were engaged in a rather heated exchange. I do hope the earl wasn’t upsetting you. He has the reputation of being . . . unstable.”

“It was simply an old family matter,” she replied brusquely. “There is no call for concern.”

Ashmun didn’t press, but even as the formations of the lively country gavotte drew them apart, she could sense that he was watching her like a hawk.

Silk swirled around her ankles, the paste jewel ear-bobs caressed her lobes, and for an instant she yearned to strip away the layers of lies, the practiced deceptions, the well-rehearsed lines, and flee from the past. Oh, to imagine that she might ever be free to be herself.

But as Lady Sterling had so wisely pointed out, there was no escaping history.

Another glass of champagne fortified her for the next set. And then another. Arianna was feeling a little light-headed when Gavin came out from the card room to claim his second dance with her.

“The Spanish Inquisitor seems to have shed his monk’s robe for the evening,” he remarked, eyeing the earl and Lady Spencer standing together in close conversation by the balcony doors.

“You mean Saybrook?” She made a pained face. “The man is a tedious bore. For propriety’s sake, I had to take a turn around the dance floor with him, but then he insisted on subjecting me to a lecture on proper behavior for a lady.”

“Boring indeed,” remarked Gavin with a sardonic laugh.

“You can’t begin to imagine. He thinks I’m too fast.” Her palm slid suggestively against his shoulder. Leaning a little closer, she let her breath tease against his ear. “Do you?”

Beneath her touch, his muscles twitched. “I believe ladies should be able to . . . do as they please.”

“Fay çe que vouldras,”
said Arianna, drawing out the French phrase slowly, like a strand of melting sugar.

“Precisely, Lady Wolcott.” Up close, the predatory gleam in his eyes blazed bright as an open flame. “How very interesting that you would choose that exact phrase.”

“Oh, I heard someone mention it recently,” she said. “And thought it sounded . . . intriguing. French is such a
sensual
language, is it not?”

“Deliciously so,” he answered. “It drips like melted butter from your tongue.”

She tittered. “La, isn’t the mention of body parts strictly forbidden in Polite Society, Sir Gavin?”

He glanced around the ballroom before locking his gaze with hers. “Among a select group of people, the rules don’t apply.”

“Even more intriguing,” she whispered. She let a few more steps of the dance go by before adding, “Lord Concord mentioned a club. A very exclusive club. How does one apply?”

“One doesn’t apply, Lady Wolcott. One is invited,” responded Gavin. “But seeing as Concord is in charge of the membership, I am sure that your name will be high on the list.”

“I do hope you will put in a good word for me.”

“But of course.” A series of tight twirls turned the ballroom into a kaleidoscope blur of colors. “I think you would fit in perfectly.”

“So do I, sir.”
So do I.

F
og floated through the chill night air, a sea of silver obscuring the rain-spattered cobblestones. The shower had passed, but the mizzled moonlight was too weak to penetrate the shadows separating the row of town houses. Darkness hid any sign of movement along the garden wall of Arianna’s rented residence.

Saybrook slid his shoes over the damp grass, careful to avoid any stray twigs that might make a sound. The cloaked figure ahead of him was now only three steps away . . . two steps . . .

Lunging forward, he caught his quarry by the shoulders. A half spin and hard jerk slammed the man up against the mossy brick.

“Quiet!” he growled, whipping out a knife from his coat and angling its edge beneath the upturned jaw. “And don’t move.”

His prisoner held very still. “Are you going to slit my throat?”

“That depends,” said Saybrook. “What filthy game are you playing, Ashmun? Answer me now, and I might let your blood stay in your veins.” The blade pressed harder against the exposed flesh. “Why are you following Lady Wolcott?”

“Because . . .” Ashmun drew a ragged breath and slowly lifted his chin. “Because I’m very concerned for her safety.”

“Explain yourself,” ordered the earl.

“I’m afraid that she’s gotten herself into deep trouble with you, and the men you have introduced to her.” His gaze flicked down to the knife. “I might ask the same question of you, Lord Saybrook. Why are
you
following her?”

“What business is it of yours?” he demanded.

“I . . . I would rather not say,” replied Ashmun.

The sharpened steel twitched, drawing a drop of blood. “I’m afraid I must insist.”

The night was still, save for the rasp of their breathing. The ghostly puffs of vapor twisted and twined together against the blurred shades of black.

The earl waited, but Ashmun remained silent.

“I applaud your courage, if not your common sense.” Saybrook eased back a touch. “If your motives are upright, you have nothing to fear from me.”

Ashmun appeared uncertain. However, after a long moment he let out a soft sigh. “I suppose I really have little choice.” His lips pursed into something between a grimace and a smile. “I am Lady Wolcott’s godfather. Or rather, I am Lady Arianna Hadley’s godfather. For she is, I am sure, the daughter of my good friend Richard Hadley, who was forced to flee to the West Indies some time ago.”

Saybrook slowly lowered the knife. “She thought you looked familiar.”

“Did she?” Ashmun looked puzzled. “I wonder how that could be? I was present at her christening, of course, but spent years abroad so did not see her again before her father left the country. And while I visited Jamaica to speak with Richard, I would have sworn that Arianna knew nothing of it. He and I took great pains to make sure that she wasn’t aware of my visit.”

“Lady Arianna has a knack of learning things that others might want to keep a secret.” The earl thought for a moment. “It is odd, though, that she didn’t recognize your name.”

“Not necessarily. I was only the Honorable Mr. Josiah Becton at the time of her birth. I’ve since acceded to the title of Baron Ashmun.”

“I see.”

Ashmun pulled a rueful face. “Her father would have been unhappy to hear that she spotted me. We were trying to protect her.”

“She wouldn’t thank you for it.” Saybrook sheathed his blade. “Protect her from what?”

The baron fixed him with a searching stare. “Before I answer that, what is your interest in the lady?”

“I, too, am anxious to keep her out of harm’s way,” answered Saybrook. “I am not at liberty to say any more than that.”

“But—”

A muffled crunch of leaves underfoot caused him to cut off his words.

Saybrook whipped around, the knife flashing out from inside his coat. The sound came again, from beneath the overhanging ivy, and then Arianna slipped out from the muddled shadows of the recessed gate in the garden wall.

“I thought I heard something,” she murmured, eyeing the earl’s weapon. Sliding a step closer, she saw that his other hand held a man pinned to the garden wall.

“And so you decided to come investigate?” Saybrook did not sound pleased. “Alone and unarmed?”

She revealed the small turn-off pocket pistol hidden beneath the folds of her India shawl. “I’m not quite so careless as you think.” She thumbed the hammer back to the half-cocked position but kept the barrel aimed at the baron’s head. “Once again, it seems you are following me, Lord Ashmun. Would you care to explain why? Or shall I be forced to reconsider using a more persuasive means of making you talk.”

“I have the situation in hand, Lady Wolcott,” said Saybrook. Lowering his voice, he added, “Go back inside. It is likely that someone is watching your house, and it would be prudent to give him nothing to report.”

She took cover within the brick archway and then silently motioned for the men to follow her.

“Damnation,” Arianna heard Saybrook swear softly. “We had better do as she asks, else she is capable of shooting
both
of us.”

“A wise move, sir,” she said as he and the baron ducked into the garden. “As you know, I’m unpredictable.” A tug on the hasp clicked the lock shut. “Follow me. We’ll be more comfortable inside, away from prying eyes.”

Crossing the terrace, Arianna led the way through a set of glass-paned doors and halfway down the corridor to a small study.

“Help yourself to a drink,” she said, indicating the decanters on the sideboard as she stirred the banked fire to life.

“May I pour you something?” asked the earl, measuring out a generous helping of brandy for both himself and Ashmun.