Clockwork Blue (61 page)

"
And I told Janet,
"
another woman with a bulbous nose piped in.

"
Who started it?
"
It was too much.
Malcolm
didn
'
t know what to say, how to act, in front of all this admiration.

"
We couldn
'
t tell you, m
'
lord,
"
Toby said.
"
But we
'
re like family, and mum
'
s the word. We would never hurt one of our own.
"

Family? He wondered if
Nicola
'
s make-believe
pixie
s had thrown some sort of magical
pixie
dust on these people to make them so accepting of him. Although
pixie
s were a fanciful notion, they seemed less odd than these people finding him admirable.

Nicola
.
Suddenly the whole misunderstanding made sense.

As if conjured by his thoughts,
Nicola
stepped into the workroom.
"
Good afternoon, my lord.
"
She smiled brightly.
"
I see you hold one of the most intricate patterns our stockingers know.
"

"
It was a
gift
.
"

"
Really?
"

"
For my bravery at facing down several militiamen in order to save Ramsey.
"
He lifted his brows and gave her a significant look.

Toby stepped forward.
"
Begging your pardon, m
'
lord, but I heard it was more like a hundred. Your lady wife must hear the true accounting of your bravery.
"

Malcolm
decided it was best if he and his lady wife didn
'
t have an audience for their true accounting. Grasping
Nicola
by the upper arm, he pulled her into the fo
ye
r.
"
And that I helped little—who was it, Tommy?—with his ailment. Why, I sound like a veritable saint.
"

She folded her hands in front of her, the pose making her appear calm. Confident.
"
You are much more than that.
"

"
What?
"

"
Ye
s. And you refuse to admit that there
'
s inherent goodness inside of you.
"

"
I didn
'
t
do
any of those things,
"
he practically growled.

"
But you would have.
"

"
Are you responsible for these rumors,
Nicola
?
"
A fear he didn
'
t understand rose within him.

She blinked.
"
Of course not.
"

He had to get away. Too many of the stockingers were still
giving him looks of admiration.
He wanted to
ye
ll that he wasn
'
t a saint. He was the devil incarnate.
The urge to get away overwhelmed him.
"
I
'
m leaving for London in the morning. Will you be ready?
"

"
I
'
m all packed, my lord.
"

"
Good.
"
He pivoted on his toe.

"
Oh, take this out with you, please.
"
She thrust a small bottle at him and he took it.
"
I just got some new medicine from the apothecary and Tommy
'
s father will be waiting for it at the shop. Since you
'
re going by there, I thought you could take it to him.
"

He cupped her chin with his free hand.
"
You
'
re manipulating me,
Nicola
, and I don
'
t like
it.
"

She rubbed her cheek against his palm.
"
Don
'
t worry, my lord. Everything will be all right.
"
She gifted him with a tender smile that left him dim-witted.

As he left the workshop, he fought the sensation of being cornered, of losing control. He didn
'
t want people to expect
anything
out of him. Better to be a devil personified where no one expected anything but misfortune than to be mistaken as a saint with everyone expecting something wonderful. Bloody hell, he didn
'
t like it. He damn well might disappoint someone. And why that should bother him was curious in itself. He realized it was because of whom he was afraid to disappoint. That someone was
Nicola
.

The Duke of Clarence e
ye
d
Malcolm
.
"
Society believes you married for the d
ye
, but I know better.
"

"
Excuse me, Your Grace?
"
Malcolm
inquired politely, turning his attention from the throng of dancers on the ballroom floor of Granger Estates. Because
Malcolm
and his brother, William, had spent a summer in Scotland with the royal heirs when they
'
d been boys, the Duke obviously felt he could claim familiarity. However,
Malcolm
had since then experienced too much, seen too much of the world. The boy of that distant summer had died long ago, his innocence and his happiness. A wistful sensation close to sentiment stabbed him, but
Malcolm
dismissed it.

The Duke laughed and swirled his brandy.
"
Come, come. I know for a fact that if the Black Falcon truly wanted the d
ye
he would have set up a deal nobody could refuse, or else he would have simply stolen the formula.
"

"
I assure you, Your Grace, my husband would never steal.
Malcolm
is an honorable man, above reproach,
"
Nicola
spoke up, her green
eyes
flashing.

Malcolm
swiveled his head to witness her scowl. She appeared almost angry. For his sake? Why, she was defending him. He stared at her, surprised. Her fierce protectiveness made him swallow back painful gratitude.

"
Upon my honor,
"
Clarence exclaimed.
"
All that?
"

Malcolm
wondered how far his wife would go. Not that he wanted or expected any more defense
s
from her.
"
Perhaps I didn
'
t want the d
ye
at all,
"
he said. He gave
Nicola
a look that caused a blush to rise to her cheeks.

"
So you are saying you like the arrangement, eh? Very nice,
"
The Duke
eyed
Nicola
with a speculative twinkle.

Lady Charlotte, the Duke
'
s latest mistress, let out a gusty sigh.
"
What did I tell you, Frederick, my dear?
"
She was dressed in a white frothy gown of French gauze. As she turned and bent to give the Duke a peck on the cheek, the gauze opened to reveal a pink silk petticoat. Although the curvaceous woman drew envious stares from other female guests and gazes of appreciation from the men,
Malcolm
wasn
'
t impressed. She paled in comparison to
Nicola
.

"
I knew it would be to our benefit to meet this refreshing young woman, and to see how she threw pixie dust on the fierce Falcon,
"
the woman said.

"
Pixie dust?
"
Falcon scowled, suddenly alarmed.
"
Why do you use that phrase?
"

Nicola
'
s
eyes
widened.
"
Yes
, that
is
a rather unusual thing to say.
"