Destiny of the Heart (Viking Destiny) (16 page)

When they arrived, Kristen was surprised to find the
party was rather busy already. The hostess, Lady Sheffield
met them at the stairs and beamed at Kristen.

"Oh my dear, I'm so glad you have made it. All of these
people are here to see you." She said excitedly.
"Me?" Kristen asked nervously.
"But of course! Everyone wants to be around the
shining star of the season, and that is certainly you, m'dear."
Lady Sheffield looked around conspiratorially and leaned in
close. "There's even rumor that your beau Lord Shane will be
in attendance this weekend." Lady Sheffield winked at Kristen.
"Oh, no. He's not my beau, Lady Sheffield - "
"Oh stuff! We've all seen the two of you together. Mark
my words, if he's not thinking of marriage right now, he will be
after this weekend."
Lady Sheffield patted Kristen on the arm and moved off
to greet her other arriving guests. Kristen looked at Mel and
frowned. Her nerves were on fire, and she was of a mind to
turn around and go home. Mel put a staying hand on her arm.
"Kristen, we're not leaving. You can ignore him if he
shows up and just focus on the others here this weekend."
"Have you tried ignoring Derrick? One doesn't just
ignore Derrick Shane." Kristen said miserably.
If she were being honest with herself, she would admit
that she didn't want to be focusing on other men this weekend,
but without a commitment from Derrick, she needed to. And,
with him there, that was going to be a difficult task indeed.
"You're the one that doesn't want to pursue him, so
you're the one who has to live with the consequences." Mel
pointed out reasonably.
Kristen nodded. "You're right. Come, we should freshen
up before lunch."
Mel smiled. She was still hoping that Kristen and
Derrick found their way to each other, but she wouldn't push
Kristen on the matter again. Still, her friend was nothing if not
stubborn. Mel admired Kristen's willingness to continue
forward when the path was difficult at best, but she didn't think
Kristen would be able to ignore Derrick if he showed up. And,
just like that, Mel was back to hoping he would show up.

After freshening up, Kristen and Mel joined the other for
lunch. It was a delightful arrangement with lamb, chicken, and
pheasant for their meat selections, a spicy soup that Kristen
found she rather adored, plenty of pastry puff and other
sweets, as well as wine, bread, and cheese. It was arranged
in a lovely spread around several large garden tables brought
together so those in attendance could eat together.

To Kristen's surprise, many of the eligible bachelors
who had made the trip early were indeed interested in
speaking with her. She found she liked a few of them, which
helped to settle her nerves somewhat. And, so far, no sign of
Derrick, which helped settle her nerves quite a bit. But, of the
gentlemen she was getting to know, she was almost certain
one in particular could catch her fancy if he was of a mind
to do so. Although, something was holding him back a little,
and that gave her a moment's pause.

His name was Lord Jason Bentley of Pimbrook Way.
He was an earl with several estates in and around Kent, and
he much preferred the country life to that of the busy London
whirl. He had heard of Kristen through several friends and was
utterly delighted to make her acquaintance as he usually
missed out on meeting any of the eligible women during their
seasons. Kristen listened intently as he rambled on about
himself. She wouldn't mind a little less talking, but at least she
was learning who he was.

As far as she could tell, he seemed interested in
settling down which suited her needs perfectly. He wasn't in
any debt and didn't need money, but he was a shrewd
investor, so he was clearly alright with earning more. And, he
was quite interested in boxing which Kristen perked up about
immediately. It would be difficult for most men to accept that
Kristen was capable of beating them senseless should the
need arise. She thought the only reason Derrick accepted it
was because he thought he could win...most of the time. But,
she didn't delude herself into thinking that that part of her
nature wasn't a turn-off for most English men.

Lord Bentley was definitely at the top of Kristen's new
list. He had made her laugh and was rather charming to boot.
He invited her to play a game of cards with him later, and she
accepted. And, after lunch when the men went inside to do
whatever men do during these parties, the women sat outside
and gossiped. Lord Bentley seemed genuinely interested in
staying with her. When he finally left, Kristen turned to Mel.

"Well?"
"He's quite rich, not a scandal to his name, and no
whispers of anything untoward. He seemed most interested in
you, too. Very affectionate. I think he makes an excellent
candidate."
Mel's tone was like that of a solicitor being paid to
agree with Kristen. While she wasn't wrong about his
attributes, Mel still believed that Kristen belonged with Derrick.
However, given the fact that Kristen was quite serious about
not pursuing him, Mel had no choice but to go along with
Kristen's decision. And since there was technically nothing
wrong with Lord Bentley, she thought it prudent to point out
that he was acceptable for the list.
Kristen knew Mel didn't like Bentley or any of the other
lords for her husband, but she appreciated that Mel was trying.
She put on a bright smile, and the two of them went to sit with
the other ladies, hoping to learn as much about the rest of the
gentlemen as they could. But, when they walked over and sat
down, Kristen found she didn't care for the topic of
conversation at all.
"And the poor Shane's. The middle one, Derrick, I think
that's his name, is to be coming this weekend. But, dear me I
do hope that Charlie fellow doesn't show. It's indecent if you
ask me. Liking men. Such a respectable family - "
Kristen tried to keep her mouth shut, she honestly did,
but she happened to like Charlie.
"And what business is it of yours what Charlie Shane
likes or doesn't like?" Kristen blurted out.
Mel pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes
skyward. It was clearly going to be a long weekend. But,
Kristen's comment had caused several of the ladies, including
the one speaking, to shift uncomfortably.
"Oh, Lady Kristen, do forgive me. I did not mean to
speak ill of the Shane's. It's just that, well, Charlie's a queer
fellow, don't you think?" She asked, laughing nervously.
But Kristen wasn't about to let it go. "Absolutely not. He
has been nothing but kind to me, and I didn't find him to be
queer at all. Perhaps if you think so, you should look at
yourself and find what's queer within you." Kristen glared.
Several of the other ladies gasped at Kristen's harsh
words. The lady who had spoken turned a particularly bright
shade of red and excused herself from the group. She looked
rather close to tears as she left. Her friend gave Kristen a cold
stare, but Kristen wouldn't be cowed. This is why she didn't
like to stay in the parlor and drink tea with women. Horrible
gossip mongers, the lot of them.
"Well, I hope you're happy, Lady Kristen. You have
managed to embarrass Lady Cecilia and the party has just
begun." The Lady Cecilia's friend said.
Kristen glanced at Lady Sheffield to see if she should
just keep her mouth shut, but the woman looked positively
excited. Kristen should have known. She would be the talk of
every drawing room for months to come. However, Kristen
had started this, and she would finish it.
"Then perhaps your friend should have better sense
than to wag her tongue in such mixed company." She said
evenly.
The woman gasped and then got up and humphed
away. When she was entirely out of ear shot, several of the
ladies turned to Kristen and congratulated her on getting rid of
them. Apparently they weren't well liked in the group, but no
one else had any cause to reprimand them. Since Kristen had
an association with the Shane's, it was perfectly acceptable for
her to speak on their behalf. Apparently, the Lady Cecilia had
tried to win over one of the Shane’s and it hadn’t gone as she
wanted. So, now she would randomly spout off nonsense
about Charlie just to get attention. Kristen didn't like the
insinuation of how she had a connection to the Shane's, but
she didn't ask any more questions on the topic. Instead, she
suggested they play charades, an activity most certainly
designed to keep gossip at bay.

***
After several hours of charades, where the ladies
laughed and enjoyed each other's company, a rare occurrence

in London society, the men came out and a game of cricket
was set up. Kristen had never played, but was fascinated by
how it worked. She stood on the sidelines and watched. When
Lord Bentley made a goal, she cheered loudly for him. He
seemed to enjoy the attention and bowed in front of her before
running off to rejoin his team. Kristen laughed.

"Did you really give someone a tongue lashing for
speaking out against Charlie?" Derrick asked beside her.
Kristen nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked at
him and frowned, then returned her attention to the game.
"I'd hardly call it a tongue lashing. She said some
inappropriate things and I set her straight. How the devil did
you hear about it?"
Derrick noticed that she was doing her best to keep her
eyes off him, which delighted him to no end. That is, until he
saw the bloke she was keeping her eyes on. Lord Bentley.
He decided he would ignore her question and needle her a
little more.
"Another candidate for your list?" He asked rudely.
Kristen rolled her eyes at his tone. "I don't expect you to
understand my motives, Lord Shane. You didn't have to come
if it bothers you so."
"Ah, but you were going to be here."
Kristen turned to face him. "Yes, let's talk about that for
a moment. Why are you so interested in following me around?
Surely there are easier conquests available."
She arched a brow and then turned her attention back
to the field. Lord Bentley had noticed Derrick standing there
with her and was giving her a strange look. She silently cursed
Derrick and swore bloody murder if he messed this up for her
again.
"Easier perhaps, but none nearly as desirable." He
teased.
As Derrick waited for her to respond, the cricket match
came to an end, and Kristen left him standing on the sideline
so that she could run over and talk with Lord Bentley.
"Lord Bentley, what a lovely match! You were amazing.
You simply must teach me this game." She said.
Lord Bentley smiled, though he spared a glace for the
extremely angry Lord Shane standing not so far away from
them.
"I'd be delighted to teach you the game, Lady Kristen."
He said as he offered her his arm.
As they walked off the field on the other side, Derrick
was seething. He didn't know why he couldn't just leave well
enough alone. He didn't understand why her insistence that
she wasn't the least bit interested only pushed him to want her
more. And, he certainly didn't understand why the mere sight
of her walking away with another man made him want to
chase that man down and rip his throat out. In fact, if it weren't
for Oliver's timely arrival, Derrick might have done just that.
"Easy there, Derrick. Think she would have you after
you ran off another potential husband?" Oliver asked.
Derrick snorted. "She's not going to marry him."
"How do you know?"
"He's...he's...she's just not, alright?!" Derrick blustered.
Oliver smiled. "Very well. At any rate, Scott said I had to
come to this bloody boring affair to keep an eye on you, so do
me a favor and at least make it interesting. Though, not too
interesting mind you. I'll not be getting into trouble on your
behalf."
"Good God, how the devil did he find out I was here?"
Oliver shrugged and gave him a lazy grin. "It's Scott.
How does he know anything about any of us? But, he does."
Derrick shook his head and walked away from his
brother. He would like to know why Scott felt the need to
continually interfere with his life. Perhaps it was best to leave
Kristen to her marriage and seek her out sometime later,
perhaps when she realized just how miserable her life was in
a loveless marriage with some prat who didn't know his head
from his ass. But, as before, he couldn’t stomach the idea of
her marrying someone else, and she wouldn’t if he had
anything to say about it.
Chapter 18

Derrick let the day pass without incident. He had
already decided that he would let Lord Bentley know the lady
was unavailable during that night's hunt. But, he certainly
didn't like how he felt that evening at dinner when Kristen
deliberately brushed past him and sat between Lord Bentley
and another lord Derrick didn't know. He frowned but kept his
seat. Mel joined him at the table and smiled warmly at him.

"Having a good time, Derrick?" She asked quietly as
she unfolded her napkin and laid it across her lap.
"Not particularly." He admitted.
"Then why'd you come?"
Derrick shrugged and sipped from his wine as he
continued to watch Kristen from the corner of his eye. Mel
grinned.
"You're creating quite a stir with your continued
presence at these affairs, and your subsequent behavior
toward the men who show the least bit of attention to Kristen.
People are talking, don't you know."
"Are they?" He asked in a bored tone.
Mel reached under the table and pinched his arm. He
jumped slightly and glared at her, but Mel wasn't worried.
"Don't you take that tone with me, Derrick Shane. I love
you like a brother because of Guy, but Kristen is my best
friend and has been my whole life. I'm telling you she needs to
settle her future. Do stop trying to mess that up for her."
Derrick frowned. "Does she owe someone money?"
Mel wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Heaven's no. She
has more money than all the Shane's put together."
Derrick was surprised. He wondered if she were poor
because she seemed to be only interested in the wealthier
lords, but he had seen her dresses and jewels and knew they
had cost a fortune, so he had dismissed that. He supposed a
woman with money didn't want to support a lord in debt, so her
interests made sense. But, what sort of trouble could a woman
who had money and the means to take care of herself be in?
"I don't understand what kind of trouble she could be in,
and why she is in such a hurry." Derrick insisted.
"No, you wouldn't because you are only thinking of
yourself and what you want. Have you even considered what it
is she wants?"
Derrick was embarrassed. Truth be told, he hadn't
actually put much thought in what she wanted. He knew she
didn't want to get married, which still left him baffled, though
she had offered the option to him. That had taken him by
surprise, and he automatically responded with 'no' because
that was his standard response whenever marriage was
brought up. But, the more he thought about it, the more he
realized he might not mind being married to her. He had never
truly been opposed to marriage, he just didn't care for fortune
seeking twits who ran the moment they learned the truth about
Charlie.
Derrick didn't see Kristen as a fortune seeker, nor was
he positive she would run when she learned about Charlie.
Especially after he heard about what she said to Cecilia
Renault. That woman was nothing but trouble, so Derrick was
eternally grateful to Kristen for stepping in and defending
Charlie. Still, Derrick had a hard enough time handling her
constant set downs, despite their attraction to one another. He
didn't want Kristen to loathe him. But, realizing that he hadn't
responded to Mel, he cleared his throat.
"Honestly, no."
"I thought not. But, you do want her?"
"Yes." He looked around, hoping no one was listening
to their conversation, inappropriate as it was.
"But not as a wife?" Mel asked slowly.
Derrick snapped his eyes to hers, the denial on the tip
of his tongue. But, he swallowed it and instead shrugged. "I
don't know."
Mel lit up. She wasn't sure what she had been
expecting Derrick to say, but the fact that he didn't just blurt
out 'no' meant that he had at least considered Kristen as more
than just a mistress. And, it really was too bad of him to make
such a suggestion. Mel was afraid Kristen wouldn't be able to
get that out of her head. And, stubborn as Kristen could be,
once she was of a certain opinion, it was the devil's own time
trying to get her to change it.
"Derrick, may I offer you some advice?" She asked.
He knew he would get the advice either way, so he
figured it was just easier to go along with it. But, he took a sip
of wine to bolster himself first. "Go on."
"Kristen is special, I think you know that. It won't take
long for the other lords to notice that either. It would be in your
best interest to come to terms with what you want from her
instead of trying to intimidate the men who show an interest in
her. You will only run her off that way."
Mel couldn't help it. She honestly wanted to stay out of
it since Kristen had gotten so angry last time, but damn it! The
two of them liked each other, and they were both being
stubborn asses about it. Truly, it was enough to drive her mad.
But, she decided she wouldn't say anything further on the
subject. She turned her attention to the food in front of her and
dug in. Playing matchmaker was quite exhausting, and she
was pregnant to boot.
But, a little ways down the table, Kristen wondered if
Derrick and Mel had been discussing her. There had been so
many emotions that flitted across Derrick's face she couldn't
catch them all. And, when Mel's face lit up, Kristen was
ashamed to admit that she got a little jealous. Kristen always
believed that Mel was much more beautiful than Kristen could
ever be, and when Mel smiled as she had at Derrick, her
beauty was much more pronounced. Kristen wondered if
Derrick found Mel attractive. Not that it mattered in the least
since Mel was quite madly in love with Derrick's best friend.
But, Kristen wondered how Mel had such complete faith in
Guy's fidelity when Kristen had a hard time trusting Derrick,
and they weren't even involved.
Fat lot of good it did her to think about Derrick, she
scolded herself sternly. If she kept that up, she would waste
what precious time she had left in trying to secure a husband.
And since she was finding that the men available to her were
rather lackluster as it was, it simply wouldn't do to compare
them to Derrick. Kristen suddenly wasn't very hungry so she
pushed the food around on her plate. Perhaps she could
escape to her rooms for awhile that evening when the
gentleman went for their hunt.
***
Later that evening, Kristen did manage to sneak away
and find solace in her rooms. She wished Lord Bentley good
luck during his hunt, offered similar words of encouragement
to the other gentlemen she had met, and downright ignored
Derrick. Her heart ached from it, but she supposed it was
better to be a little sad now than to wake up in five years and
realize her whole life had been a lie. Derrick Shane would
break her heart, she was sure of it.
As she lay there contemplating the events of her life
and how she'd come to be in so much trouble, there was a soft
knock on her door. Kristen smiled, thinking it was Mel coming
to check on her. She slid off the bed and walked to the door,
opening it.
"Mel, I'm fin - " Kristen stopped mid-sentence and the
smile faded from her lips.
It wasn't Mel, but her stepfather. He shoved past her
and into the room, then reached around her and shut the door.
Kristen moved away from him as quickly as she could. Only
when she was a safe distance across the room did she turn
and glare at him.
"What do you want, Ashby?" She demanded.
"Come now, I should think that was obvious."
"I'm not marrying you."
"Oh, I've moved beyond that scheme. You are worth
more dead than alive, m'dear."
Kristen laughed. "Is that so? And, are you the one who
is going to kill me?" She asked in haughty disbelief.
Ashby laughed through his nose. "I underestimated you
once. I won't do so again."
He leaned over and opened the bedroom door allowing
two extremely large men to enter the room. Kristen's eyes
flicked between them nervously, and she glanced back at
Ashby. His gloating smile made her want to punch him in the
face.
"And how do you propose to get me out of here quietly?
There are plenty of witnesses around."
Ashby's smile grew wider as a third man walked in her
room carrying a decidedly unconscious Derrick. Kristen's
nostrils flared slightly, but she gave nothing else away.
She thought it best if Ashby believed she didn't care for
Derrick.
"You bring an unconscious man in here and expect that
to be enough to prevent me from screaming my bloody head
off?"
"My dear child, you can be obtuse if you would like, but
I've watched the two of you over the last few days, and I know
that you do very much care for him. Now, you will come along
quietly, and no games, or we'll slit his throat. The choice is
yours."
Kristen was stuck in a precarious situation, and Ashby
knew it. If she didn't go quietly, Derrick would die. If she did,
then she could die. But, at the end of the day, she wouldn't put
Derrick's life at risk to save her own, so there was no choice in
the matter.
"Fine. Lead the way. But, if one hair on his head is out
of place, I promise you will regret it."
"No need for threats. Once we're in the carriage, we'll
drop him off somewhere. He won't be harmed, I assure you."
His wolfish grin told Kristen otherwise, but for now she
went along with the plan. Ashby held his hand out to her and
she stepped forward, but stopped just out of his reach. He
kept his hand out a moment longer, a sort of challenge, but
Kristen wasn't interested in proving anything to him and she
wasn't about to touch him. He laughed softly as he lowered his
hand and looked up at his thugs.
"Let’s go."
Ashby led the way, Kristen followed, and the thugs
brought up the rear. The two for Kristen stayed close to her
while the one holding Derrick over his shoulder was the last to
leave the room. Ashby led them down the hallway to the back
staircase that went down to the servant's entrance. As they
quickly made their way down the stairs, Kristen hoped they'd
run into at least one maid. Perhaps she could get a message
to Mel about what had happened.
But, Kristen was to be disappointed. Whatever Ashby's
plan, he had timed it well because there wasn't a servant in
sight. Kristen's stomach twisted over itself and she suddenly
felt terribly nauseous. She could have handled Ashby on her
own, but with Derrick there, she had to be careful. Any
misstep and they would kill him. He was merely an
expendable pawn in Ashby's plan. But, if Kristen got out of
this, she planned to break Ashby's scrawny neck.
When they reached the landing, Ashby took a sharp
right, and they headed through a small back door that lead to
the side of the house. They all filed out and followed Ashby
into the shadows. Kristen didn't think he would use his own
coach for this kidnapping, so she assumed he had a hired
hackney waiting just down the road. But, since it was a
country house, that meant they would be walking a little ways.
That thought gave her a moment of hope. If they had to
walk a little, perhaps Derrick would wake up and they could
escape together. But, when she glanced back at the thug
holding Derrick, she got the distinct impression he wouldn't be
waking up any time soon. Kristen ground her teeth and
returned her gaze to the back of her stepfather's head. If they
hurt Derrick, she would make Ashby's life a living hell.
They walked the length of the road with a surprisingly
quick pace. When they reached the end, an unmarked black
carriage was off to the side of the road. Nonchalantly, as
though he weren't kidnapping two people, Ashby looked
around. Kristen supposed he wanted to make sure no one had
followed them, but she wondered if he genuinely thought he'd
be able to see anyone if they had. The trees were incredibly
dense at this section of the road, providing the perfect hiding
place.
But, it wasn't something she worried about for long.
Ashby grabbed her arm and yanked her across the road until
they reached the carriage. He opened the door and shoved
her inside, where she landed on a cloaked figure who shoved
her off, then Ashby followed her inside. It was immediately
apparent that not all of them would fit in the carriage and
Kristen looked around, concerned.
"Get rid of him, now." The cloaked woman commanded.
Ashby stuck his head out the door.
"Leave him there on the side of the road and meet us at
the rendezvous point. One hour. No dallying."
Kristen saw the thugs nod their consent and Ashby
slammed the door closed, giving the roof a good knock.
Kristen frowned. She started to move, but before she could
even finish the thought, the cloaked woman had a dagger to
her throat. Kristen inhaled sharply and looked at Ashby. His
eyes were gleaming in the dull light of the carriage.
"One move from you, your highness, and I'll slit your
throat."
Kristen's mind was racing. She had no idea who this
woman was, but the voice sounded remarkably familiar. She
racked her brain trying to remember.
"What difference does it make if you slit my throat now,
or later? It's your intention to do so either way."
"On the contrary. I have a much different end in mind
for you." The woman said with some amusement.
Ashby leaned forward. "Now then, let's discuss the
terms of our agreement."
Kristen saw the hood of the cloak slip back a little from
the woman's face. What Kristen could see was very beautiful.
She was again struck with the sense that she had met this
woman before, but she wasn't sure where.
"There is no longer an agreement, Ashby. My terms
were clear. She was to be dead within one week, and you
have not met that objective." The woman stated coldly.
"My week is not up." He insisted.
"Quite nearly. And, I've been watching. Nothing but one
botched attempt after another."
"Excuse me, but what the hell is going on?" Kristen
demanded.
The woman dug the knife into her neck. "Nothing that
need concern you, m'dear."
"If you insist on cutting me out now, then I see no
reason to keep her in the dark. This woman is respon-"
A pistol shot fired in the carriage. Kristen cringed,
though she couldn't move with the knife still to her throat. She
looked at Ashby and begrudgingly had to admit the woman
was a damn good shot. He was shot between the eyes, and
Kristen noted that at such a close range, it would be
exceedingly difficult to clean the carriage out. But, whoever
this woman was, the driver was either familiar with her, or he
was extremely well paid because the carriage never missed a
beat.
"Well, that was dramatic." Kristen said dryly.
The woman chuckled. "He was a waste of a human
being. I did the world a favor."