Lady Sarah's Sinful Desires (29 page)

With a grunt, he drew himself up to his full height so he could stare down at her with proper intimidation. “I should certainly hope so, Sarah. There are many papas who would not be as tolerant of a willful daughter as I.”

He took his leave then, closing the door behind him as he left. Sarah stood for a long time after, hands trembling as she stared at the spot where her father had stood while he'd condemned her.

 

Chapter 16

B
y the time Sarah awoke from her restless slumber the following morning, it was twenty minutes to five. Panic coursed through her veins as she flung the coverlet away and leapt from the bed. She dressed with haste, almost forgetting to put on her spencer in her rush to get to the dueling field before it was too late.

Hurrying downstairs, she passed a clock and glanced in its direction. Only five minutes to go. She would never get there on time—­especially not if she had to go in search of brandy first, as she'd wanted to do in case either man suffered an injury.

Deciding to abandon the idea, since they could just as well return to Thorncliff if medical attention was required, Sarah prayed that the gentlemen would be late as well so she could make a last attempt to stop them. Perhaps they'd overslept or would spend some time discussing rules before the duel began. As doubtful as either of those scenarios were, she couldn't help but hope.

But when she dashed breathlessly out onto the field after following a trail through the woods at a near run, she saw that Lord Spencer and Mr. Denison were already engaged, their rapiers clanging together in the still morning air as they attacked and parried. “I'm too late,” she murmured, mostly to herself. She'd known she would be the moment she'd woken, but she'd still clung to the hope that she might arrive on time, although she'd stood little chance of stopping the duel even then.

“You shouldn't be here,” Chadwick said, striding toward her. His brows were drawn together in a hard line that seemed misplaced on the otherwise cheerful earl.

“I had hoped to arrive sooner,” she said, undeterred by his comment.

“To what avail?”

“Why, to try and stop this foolishness.”

He studied her assessingly. “There is nothing foolish about a man defending a lady's honor.”

She winced at that. “Not even if he gets himself killed?”

“That's not going to happen here today. Neither man has any interest in causing the other's death. And even if that were not the case, I have every confidence that the most honorable man will win.”

Falling silent, Sarah had to agree. Lord Spencer moved with undeniable grace and agility, while Mr. Denison looked terribly clumsy. She watched as Lord Spencer leapt back, easily avoiding Mr. Denison's blade as it struck the air beside Lord Spencer's chest. Circling around, Lord Spencer attacked boldly, his blade meeting Mr. Denison's as Mr. Denison defended himself with increasingly frantic movements, panting loudly from exertion. Still, Lord Spencer advanced, pressing his opponent backward and forcing him to respond swiftly to each of the blows Lord Spencer dealt him.

“Spencer's free hand,” Sarah said as she studied his closed fist. “It looks as though he's holding something. What is it?”

“A small frame containing a clover,” Chadwick said.

Of course. A man with such deeply ingrained superstitious beliefs would never engage in a duel without bringing a bit of luck with him. She was glad she'd been able to help him with at least that much, especially since it appeared to be working.

Spinning around, he made a more abrupt movement, forcing Mr. Denison to leap aside, causing Mr. Denison to stumble as he did so. It became clear that Lord Spencer had been going easy on Mr. Denison until now, for he gave him no quarter this time. With a rapid stab, he punctured Mr. Denison's jacket and jumped back, his stance still ready for an oncoming attack.

But the attack never came. Instead, Mr. Denison dropped his rapier and clutched his arm, his expression dark as he ignored Lord Spencer's outstretched hand with more rudeness than Sarah had ever witnessed before in her life. Not bothering to pick up his rapier, he approached Sarah. As he came closer, she could see that his face had turned an alarming shade of purple and that tiny droplets of sweat covered his forehead in a wet sheen. He was practically trembling as he came to a halt before her, completely ignoring Chadwick's presence at her side.

“Never in my life have I been so humiliated,” he snapped. “To be subjected to such mockery by a man who's undoubtedly—­”

“Sir! I would caution you about your choice of language lest you find yourself called out again,” Chadwick said.

“Very well,” Mr. Denison said, albeit reluctantly. He licked his fleshy lips and swallowed with apparent difficulty. Leaning toward Sarah, he then said, “I plan to procure a special license today, allowing us to marry no later than the day after tomorrow.” Leaning closer still while Sarah stiffened, he whispered, “I cannot wait to make you heed my command.”

Heart slamming against her chest, Sarah took a step back. There was another option now, and while it didn't exactly appeal, it was certainly better than becoming Mr. Denison's wife. “Thank you for your offer, sir,” she managed with remarkable dignity, “but I will not be marrying you.”

He stared at her for a moment as if she'd gone mad. “But . . . you
have
to!”

“You cannot force her to the altar, Denison,” Lord Spencer said as he came to stand beside the man he'd just beaten. His eyes met Sarah's, and there was a brief sadness within his gaze that was swiftly banished by an unforgiving hardness as he turned his eyes on Mr. Denison.

“I'll tell the world about your precious secret,” Mr. Denison sputtered.

It was the one threat that Sarah could not ignore. She thought of her sisters.

“You will do no such thing,” Lord Spencer said calmly. “If we are to play at blackmail, sir, I would caution you to consider that my power and influence are far superior to your own. I will crush you with them.”

Sarah could have jumped for joy. Even though he hated her, Lord Spencer had chosen to be her champion and help her out of the mess she was in.

“I have no secrets or wrongdoings with which you may threaten me,” Mr. Denison said.

Lord Spencer tilted his head, and Sarah realized that she was holding her breath. “Perhaps not,” Lord Spencer said thoughtfully, “but you do have two daughters whom you'd like to find suitable husbands for. If any rumors get out about Lady Sarah, however, I can assure you, sir, that your daughters will become unmarriageable faster than you can blink.”

Mr. Denison paled. “This . . . this is an outrage!”

“I couldn't agree more,” Lord Spencer said. Crossing his arms, he stared Mr. Denison down until Mr. Denison took a step back, wobbling a little as he did so. “If I might make a suggestion, it would be for you to put any thoughts of forming an attachment with Lady Sarah from your mind as quickly as possible.”

“I will not stand for this!” Mr. Denison blustered.

“And yet it seems as though you must,” Chadwick said with an exaggerated note of pity.

Jerking his head back and forth as he looked from one to the other with furious eyes, Mr. Denison eventually turned on his heel without further comment and strode off.

“Thank you,” Sarah said, addressing both Lord Spencer and Lord Chadwick.

“You're welcome,” Lord Spencer said, his face set in a serious expression that equaled the one he'd worn when she'd first met him. It had softened a bit during their acquaintance, and he had even allowed himself to smile and laugh on occasion, but that was difficult to imagine, looking at him now. “You should know that I would never spread unjust rumors about undeserving ­people, but Mr. Denison doesn't know that. I had to threaten him with something he cares about.”

“I know,” Sarah said. She gave him a weak smile, which he failed to return, reminding her of just how badly she'd hurt him. “I'm sorry,” she said again, even though she felt it made no difference.

Lord Spencer acknowledged her apology with a curt nod that sent her heart plummeting. “I trust I can rely upon you to escort her ladyship back to Thorncliff?” he asked Chadwick.

“It would be my pleasure,” Chadwick said.

With one final glance in her direction, Spencer strode toward a horse that stood tied to a tree on the edge of the field. Standing beside Chadwick, Sarah watched as he swung himself into the saddle, kicked the horse into a canter and rode off across the field. He'd fought a duel for her and had even backed her up against Mr. Denison, but Lord Spencer had not forgiven her deceit, and that knowledge hurt like the thrust of a blade to her belly.

 

Chapter 17

“M
ay I join you?” Lady Duncaster asked as she approached Sarah that afternoon.

Wishing to be alone, Sarah had taken refuge in a more secluded part of the garden where Greek statues standing in various corners offered some distraction from her turbulent thoughts. “I'd be honored,” she said, gesturing to the vacant spot beside her on the bench.

Taking her seat, Lady Duncaster spent a moment arranging her skirts. Companionable silence followed until Lady Duncaster eventually said, “You haven't been yourself since the ball last night. Whatever it is that's troubling you, I'd be happy to help.”

Inhaling deeply, Sarah expelled a heavy sigh. “I just wish I would have been wiser. Instead, I've hurt ­people I never meant to hurt, yet I find that I still want to be happy even though I have no right to be.”

“You're being very harsh on yourself.”

“I'm not being harsh enough,” Sarah said, staring straight ahead. “Mr. Denison and I were supposed to become affianced last night, but I turned him down because of foolish pride and because I dared hope that another option might present itself. It did, but it's far from what I dreamed of. Frankly, I don't know what I was thinking to suppose Lord Spencer might . . .” Her breath quivered upon her lips, and her chest contracted. She closed her eyes. “I shall go to my uncle in Cape Town instead, where I shall become a governess to his three children.”

“When do you depart?”

“Papa hasn't told me yet, but I suppose it will be as soon as I return home. Juliet will have her debut next Season, so my parents will want me gone long before then.”

Lady Duncaster harrumphed. “Men can be such fools.”

“Lord Spencer is right to forget about me now that I've told him what I've done. I'm completely unsuitable for him and have known so all along.” She dropped her head in her hands. “Stupidly, I allowed myself to dream even though I knew how pointless it would be, and in so doing, I swept him along with me, deceiving him in the most selfish way.”

“I don't believe all this self-­deprecation will help,” Lady Duncaster told her firmly. “You did what you did and that's that. Clearly you regret your actions, but I am also not entirely convinced that you are the only one to blame for the way things turned out. Now, I still don't know the specifics regarding your ruination, but I'm not so old that I cannot piece it all together either. If you did what I think you did, then your parents are to blame as well for not offering better protection at a time when you clearly needed it. You must also consider Lord Spencer's own fault in all of this.”

“He has no fault.”

“Ha!” Turning her head, Lady Duncaster regarded Sarah with great sympathy. “He knew quite well that you were supposed to marry Mr. Denison, yet he pursued you anyway. I'm not saying he was wrong to do so, because I truly believe the two of you are very well suited, but at some point along the way he must have wondered at your insistence to marry a man as unappealing as Mr. Denison is.”

“I doubt he imagined the reason to be as awful as it turned out to be.”

“Perhaps you're right,” Lady Duncaster said. She paused a moment. “It is possible he might still come to his senses.”

“Who? Lord Spencer?”

“Who else?”

Sarah pondered that. She loved him with all her heart, which only made everything so much more difficult. Soon she would be half a world away from him. “What if I give him a choice?”

“I like the idea,” Lady Duncaster said. “Do go on.”

“I've no desire to go to Cape Town. Better, then, to seek refuge in a French convent, knowing the choice to do so is my own.”

“You plan to run away?”

“It's the only thing that makes any sense to me at this point, and perhaps the only one that might win me Lord Spencer if such a possibility still remains.” Sarah doubted it. The sense of loss that gripped her, weighing down her heart, attested to it. Still, she had to try. “If I fail, then at least I will have decided my future on my own.”

Lady Duncaster scrunched her nose. “I can't envision you in a convent, Lady Sarah.”

“I think it might grant me the peace of mind I seek.”

“Have you considered how to get there? I trust you have enough funds to allow for a comfortable journey?”

Sarah bit her lip. “I was actually hoping you might be willing to lend me a horse to take me to Portsmouth. Once there I can pawn my jewelry and—­”

“Stop right there,” Lady Duncaster said. “This idea of yours is sounding more and more desperate by the second, not to mention potentially dangerous. I would be completely remiss in my duty toward you if I allowed you to do such a thing.”

“But—­”

“Allow me to make you a better offer.” Steepling her fingers, Lady Duncaster pressed the tips to her mouth. “I think you had the right of it when you suggested that running away might spur Lord Spencer into action. He will either do nothing, or he will realize he cannot live without you and take up the chase. Hopefully it will be the latter, but to head off to France with barely a penny . . .” Lady Duncaster shook her head with obvious distaste. “It simply won't do, but since it does make a viable tale, we'll make it work. Rather than Portsmouth, you'll journey to Plymouth.”

“Plymouth?”

“It's farther away, allowing Lord Spencer more time in which to catch up to you before your ship sails.”

“So I will be sailing to France after all?” Sarah was getting confused.

“No. You'll be sailing to Portsmouth.”

Sarah frowned, her confusion complete. “Forgive me, but I don't quite follow your reasoning.”

“Well, obviously you must sail somewhere. Portsmouth is the closest port to Thorncliff, which makes it a most convenient destination. It will allow you to return here with relative ease, for if Lord Spencer still refuses to come to his senses, I will offer you a position as my companion.”

Sarah stared at Lady Duncaster in amazement. “Are you certain?”

Lady Duncaster arched a brow. “I like you a great deal and have no issue with whatever mischief you got up to in the past. It's my impression that the two of us will get along quite nicely, if you agree, that is.”

“Thank you, my lady, that is a most generous offer,” Sarah said.

“And one that is made in vain, since you will be marrying Lord Spencer.”

“I fear you may be wrong about that.”

Lady Duncaster rose, so Sarah did the same. “We'll know soon enough,” Lady Duncaster said as they started back toward the house. “We'll make the necessary preparations immediately—­no need to linger—­so that by tomorrow you may be off. Hopefully with Lord Spencer in hot pursuit.”

Sarah grinned. “You make it sound so romantic.”

“I hope it will be,” Lady Duncaster said as they wound their way along a graveled path. “My own marriage had a very romantic beginning to it—­I dearly wish the same for you.”