Surrender of Trust (First Volume of the Surrender Series) (28 page)

"Lucien's in no condition to do that."

Monique gazed at him with a questioning look,
brows raised."And how would you know that?"

"You told me he was gravely injured,"
Chalifour parried. "I just assumed."

Monique didn't appear convinced. "If Lucien
races, he could be injured again, maybe even killed."

"I agree. So what does Lucy intend to do
about it?"

"She's talking about offering herself to
Perdan."

Chalifour's gut clenched. "As his wife? That
would be a disaster."

"Or otherwise, as she states it."

Chalifour’s eyes narrowed involuntarily.
"What do you mean, otherwise?"

"I mean, she is willing to sacrifice herself,
her honor, her virtue, you name it, for her brother's sake. She
feels partly to blame for some of his circumstances."

Chalifour was aghast. Monique was unaware of
his tryst with Lucy. Though Lucy had lost her innocence to him,
Chalifour certainly didn't want to think of it as a sacrifice on
Lucy's part. Chalifour had set out to seduce Lucy and found himself
seduced instead.

He had recklessly offered marriage to Lucy
out of obligation and the potential conflict with her brother. The
irony was Chalifour did indeed want her for himself. He had no
intentions of sharing Lucy with anyone. Bile rose in his throat at
the thought of Perdan touching one small part of her tempting
flesh. "Are you certain she intends to do this?"

Monique looked him in the eye. "Reasonably
sure, yes."

"So why come to me?"

"If you feel the way I suspect you do, you'd
best hurry. The race is the day after tomorrow, which means Lucy
will probably go to him today."

Monique stood and smoothed her gown. "I
really enjoyed seeing Lady Elizabeth. We must do this again." She
looked at Chalifour meaningfully and made to leave.

Chalifour hated being forced to make a snap
decision, but this was one of those times he had to do just that.
It was time to commit. "Lady Monique?"

Monique turned to look at him. "It seems I
should at the very least escort you home after your visit with my
sister." Monique grinned at him. Chalifour was reminded of his wily
sister.

"Indeed? I thought you'd never offer. I would
welcome your company."

"Good. I believe I'll need of the use of your
coach today. I'll explain on the drive over."

Today was the day Lucy would do the
unthinkable. She would offer herself to Perdan in exchange for her
brother's safety and not being forced to race. Lucy looked into the
mirror and noted the shadows under her eyes. Not one of her better
days. Lucy rubbed her dry and tired eyes. No point in delaying the
inevitable. Lucy dressed and descended the stairs. She was
surprised to find Monique sipping a cup of tea and reading a book
in the salon. "You must have been out riding this morning."

"Yes, I've been out," Monique said
brightly.

Lucy narrowed her eyes. Monique seemed
evasive. Something was off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"Monique, would you mind if I used the coach today? I have some
business I need to attend to. I also need to make preparations to
return home. It's quite obvious I need to see Lucien."

"Of course you can use the coach. Would you
like me to accompany you?"

"Oh, no. No need to trouble yourself."

"What are you going to tell Lucien when you
see him?"

"The truth. What else can I tell him?"

"Good. He loves you. I'm sure he'll forgive
you everything."

"I sincerely hope you're right."

"We also need to get money to Henry. Perdan
will be after him soon I imagine."

"Yes. I'm sure he will. It's my
responsibility, however, not yours."

"I beg to differ, but we can talk about that
after you return from whatever it is you need to do."

Odd Monique had not asked where she was
going. At least she didn't have to evade the truth or outright lie
to her friend again. "Thank you. I'll go ahead and take care of my
affairs." The task of humiliating herself to Perdan. Could she
really go through with this? Lucy honestly wasn't certain.

Lucy loved Lucien with all of her being, but
she wasn't sure she could let Perdan touch her. Queasiness rose in
her stomach and her mouth went dry. She swayed and gripped the door
frame, fighting the urge to run relieve herself. Lucy plastered a
false smile on her face and turned to leave when Monique said the
oddest thing.

"I love you Lucy. You are the sister I never
had." The brilliance of Monique's smile briefly lit the darkness
within Lucy.

"I feel the same way." Lucy returned the
smile, but this time her smile was genuine.

Lucy drug herself to the stables and asked
Henry to ready the coach for her. Giving the address to Henry, Lucy
stepped through the door and into the dim coach, eyes downcast,
spirit leaden. The door closed behind her and Lucy realized with a
start she was not alone.

That unmistakable male scent assaulted her
senses. It was suddenly difficult to breathe. "What are you doing
in here?" Lucy finally managed.

Arms crossed, Chalifour's powerful frame
rested at an angle against the back corner of the coach. His face
was hidden in the shadows. "I'm here to prevent you from making a
grievous error."

"I appreciate your concern, Lord Chalifour,
but I'm perfectly capable of caring for myself."

"Does caring for yourself include throwing
yourself at Perdan?"

The blood froze in Lucy's veins. How could
Chalifour possibly know that? "How, how," Lucy stammered before
finding her voice. She then changed her response and said
defiantly, "How dare you accuse me of something like that!"

The thump of the horse's hooves coincided
with the jerking and swaying of the coach. Chalifour leaned forward
into the light and his cobalt eyes flashed a brilliant hue when the
sunlight danced in them. Lucy couldn't move. Her breath came in
ragged bursts. He had such an effect on her.
What did he want?
What did he know?

Chalifour reached across the coach and ran
his long finger over her bottom lip before pulling her roughly
against him and lowering his lips to her. Lucy's senses reeled.
Desire erupted from the core of her being. She surrendered and
leaned into him, letting his lips claim hers. If Chalifour wanted
to take her here in the coach Lucy had no will to stop him.

Chalifour kissed her deeply and then gently
pulled away. "You told me on the terrace there was nothing between
you and Perdan."

"There's not.." Lucy's voice was shaky and
she tried to pull herself together.

"Then why are you going to see him?"

Lucy couldn't bring herself to meet
Chalifour's eyes. His strong fingers cupped her chin and lifted her
face toward his.

"Look at me, Lucy."

Reluctantly, Lucy raised her eyes to his.

"I want to help you, Lucy. But I must have
the truth from you, and your trust. All of it. I cannot bear it any
other way. Why are you going to see Perdan?"

The gentleness in Chalifour's voice pierced
her heart like the sharpest of glass shards. Lucy wanted to weep
and fall back into his arms. "I received a letter from Lucien. He
will be racing in the Derby."

"He's not strong enough for that."

"I'm aware of that," Lucy said miserably.

"So why are you going to see Perdan?"

"Because I must."

"Why must you?"

Lucy stared at Chalifour mutely.

"We'll be at Perdan's townhouse soon. You
have a decision to make."

Still Lucy said nothing.

"I know about the blackmail. I want to help
you, love," Chalifour said.

Lucy stiffened and her face crumpled. The
damn burst and the tears flowed hot on her cheeks. Sagging, Lucy's
shoulders heaved with the sobs she could no longer control. Lucy
cared too much for Chalifour, she realized with a start. She
couldn't go forward without his knowing the full truth. No matter
what Chalifour thought of her afterwards, she had to tell him
everything. Lucy would bare her soul and hope he would be able to
forgive her. It was time to trust him. Lucy swallowed, took a deep
breath and turned to face Chalifour.

A scorching heat rose within Lucy as she
stared into the depths of those intense blue eyes. The concern in
Chalifour's eyes was palpable. It made it all the more difficult
for Lucy. "You wanted the truth."

"Yes."

Chalifour moved to place his hands around her
waist but Lucy stopped him. "Please, don't. Not until I finish what
I need to say to you. You may not want to even look at me again,
much less touch me."

"I doubt that. I find you irresistible."

A knife twisted inside Lucy. "I can only
start from the beginning. I don't know how else to tell it."

"Go ahead. Tell me in whatever fashion you
need to."Chalifour's voice was kind.

Lucy took another deep breath. "You know my
brother has been the head of our family and heir since my father
passed."

"Yes."

"Lucien and I were always so close. We even
had our own secret language as children." The troublesome lock of
hair fell across Chalifour's brow. This time Lucy reached up and
brushed it away, reveling in the silky texture of his hair. When
Lucy's fingers grazed Chalifour's forehead, his breath hitched,
giving her an odd satisfaction.

Lucy continued, "After my father passed on,
Lucien became my whole world. There was no one else. He's my only
family and I would do anything to protect him."

"I believe you," Chalifour said gently.

The kindness in Chalifour's voice wrenched
Lucy's insides. "They brought Lucien into the house after the
accident. He looked so awful." Lucy's voice dropped to a whisper.
Her tears welled and it was difficult to speak. "He wasn't
conscious and the doctor couldn't tell me when he would wake, or if
he would live."

"So why not delay before signing our
contract. It surely could have waited a few weeks?"

Lucy swallowed. This was the hard part. "Lord
Perdan came to see me. He said my brother owed him a large sum of
money for a debt, a debt of honor. The amount was staggering. I
asked him what the debt was for, but he directed me to my brother,
who, of course, was not conscious."

"How much was the debt?"

"Six thousand pounds."

"How did you know Lucien really owed him the
money?"

"I reviewed Lucien's ledgers and there had
been a series of payments over the previous year which began
shortly after my father died."

"And what did this have to do with your
brother and me?"

Nervous energy began to build in Lucy. She
fidgeted with the lace on her dress and chose her words carefully.
"I wasn't aware of your discussions with Lucien until you came to
see him that day. When you first appeared, I was elated. I thought
you were going buy horses so I led you to believe everything was
fine. I thought it would provide money I could use to pay Lord
Perdan until Lucien was better and could sort things out."

"Not having been privy to the details, it's
natural you would have thought that, particularly given your
family's routine business dealings."

"Of course, later I was shocked when you told
me you were investing in the business, but we needed the money so I
continued the ruse. When you brought the contract to be signed, and
I realized there would be no money, I couldn't very well refuse
after my earlier deception. Besides, it was obviously something
Lucien wanted to do or he wouldn't have been speaking with you
about it in the first place."

"Was that when you decided to race in the
Oaks?"

"No. Not actually."

Chalifour's brow furrowed. "Then what
prompted you?"

"I went through my brother's desk and found
his cheque papers. I gave one to Perdan for the same amount Lucien
had been paying."

"You did what? You forged a cheque from your
brother's accounts?" Chalifour's voice went up two octaves and he
stared at her in disbelief, disapproval written on his face.

"Yes." Lucy's voice so small she barely heard
it herself. "I needed to stall him for a while."

"Lucy, this is serious. Lucien knows there is
a cheque paper missing. Does your brother know you forged money
from his accounts with it?"

"No. Well, maybe now."

"Does Perdan know it was forged?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Thank the Heavens for small favors. What did
you tell Perdan?"

"I was trying to get information from him,
and, um, soften him a little."

"Soften him? What do you mean
soften
him?" Chalifour sat up straighter.

"He had, um ... " Lucy glanced at Chalifour
before cutting her eyes away. "He made some

inappropriate suggestions in the past. I
thought if I flirted with him, he might tell me more about this
debt and how it came to be." Relating this to Chalifour heightened
the turbulence within Lucy.

Chalifour's jaw tightened and his fists
clenched.

Lucy hurried on, "That's when he told me it
was a debt which would never be paid. He was blackmailing my
brother. That's when I decided to race in the Oaks. I thought
perhaps I could win enough money to bribe Lord Perdan." Lucy paused
for a moment.

Chalifour crossed his arms and waited for her
to continue. Lucy would rather die than say it, but there was no
other way. The words flooded from her. "It was just after you told
me about your discussions with Lucien. Lord Perdan informed me he
was blackmailing Lucien. If my brother didn't pay him, he would
spread untrue rumors about Lucien cheating in the races at
Newmarket last year. He would ruin my brother. Even so, that
doesn't excuse my actions. I should never have signed that contract
and brought it to you! In doing so, I allied you with my brother
knowing about those allegations, knowing it could affect you
terribly. I'm so sorry. It was wrong of me."