Lady Vixen (49 page)

William
nearly choked on his rage. "How dare you threaten me! I'll have you thrown
from this hotel, young man, and when I see my lawyer, you'll discover that it
is unwise to spout slander at an innocent man!"

"Innocent?"
Christopher mocked. "I hardly think so. And I'm certain we'll be able to
prove otherwise."

Knowing
full well that he could not withstand any investigation, William protested,
"Now, look here! Let us discuss this!"

Christopher
murmured dryly, "But I thought we were."

"Yes.
Yes." Attempting to save face, William said conciliatorily, "Just sit
down and we will see if we can come to an agreement."

"Only
one course is acceptable. You and your wife retire to your farm and forget
about Nicole Ashford. You will also," Christopher went on in a hard voice,
"turn control of her fortune to my grandfather. If you don't," he
growled dangerously, "you will, I promise, regret it greatly."

Nearly
gagging on the fury that shook him, his face darkening alarmingly, William
agreed in a strangled tone. "I understand." It galled him, but he was
at a standstill. He could not afford to have his accounts examined. It was far
better to lose Nicole and her fortune and keep what he could than to gamble all
on winning against the Saxons.

"Fine!"
Christopher said with a snap. He pivoted on his heel, then, as if remembering
something, swung slowly back to face William. "Ah, yes, one more
thing." And deliberately he slashed William deeply on the cheek with the
riding crop. His eyes mere slits of gold, he snarled softly, "Don't
ever
lay a hand on Nicole Ashford again. Next time, I'll
kill
you!"

Stunned,
William stared speechless as Christopher bowed with exaggerated politeness and
departed. Once he was alone in the room, his hands clenching into fists, he
nearly howled aloud his chagrin and rage. But he stifled the emotions,
suspecting that he was fortunate that young Saxon had not challenged him to a duel.
And if he escaped a legal inquiry into his affairs, he was doubly lucky.

The
stinging cut on his cheek was throbbing painfully as he barged into Agatha's
chamber and ordered her to pack—they were leaving for the country as soon as
Edward returned! He offered no explanation, and when Agatha timidly asked what
they were to do about Nicole, he roared at her in such temper that she promptly
went into a swoon.

Having
thoroughly unnerved his wife, he stormed from the room and proceeded to drown
his disappointment and humiliation in several glasses of dark, strong ale. And
as the hours passed he became more resigned and viewed the future with a more
reasonable mind. His rage had not abated, but he was able to see the advantages
of leaving town and salvaging what he could from Nicole's fortune.

Edward,
though, when informed of the change of plans, merely looked at his father in a
bored fashion and said languidly, "Very well. You and mother retire to the
country."

The
cut on his face now a livid bruise, William growled, "And you?"

Edward
smiled sweetly, and flicking a bit of imaginary fluff from his sleeve, he
murmured, "Oh, I intend to try my hand at wedding the heiress."

William
grunted. "Well, I wish you the joy of her. She's a regular little hellcat!
She'll make a hot-tempered shrew of a wife, and I'll warn you, it might not be
worth the fortune."

Edward
stared blandly at his father and said softly, "That may be, but I doubt
that my dear bride will survive her honeymoon!"

Gazing
intently into his son's limpid blue eyes, William shivered. There was something
about Edward that frightened him occasionally, and hastily he muttered,
"You do as you see fit."

"I
intend to."

Edward
had grown up to be a very eligible and handsome young man. He was almost
beautiful, with fair hair of gleaming silver curls and smoky blue eyes framed
by silky lashes, an aquiline nose of classic proportions, and a passionate,
full-lipped mouth, all complementing his fairness. He was taller than average,
and his body was as muscled and sleek as the rest of him. Oh, yes, Edward was
an astonishingly beautiful young man and could be most charming and engaging.
He was the hope of many a mother with a marriageable daughter and the despair
of those very eager young ladies. But Edward's polished surface concealed an
evil nature; he was inordinately, poisonously selfish and cared for no one but
himself.

William
was aware of that unpalatable fact, and rising heavily from his chair a moment
later, he repeated, "You do as you see fit. But remember, from now on the
Saxons will be controlling her fortune. I dare not fight them on the issue.
Your mother and I leave tomorrow for the farm."

His
son waved him away with a negligent flick of his hand. "I'll bid you
good-bye then."

Alone
in his own chambers, Edward debated at length what his next step should be.
More permanent lodgings, of course, but a servant could see to that. The most
important thing at the moment was Nicole Ashford.

With
a serpent's grace he glided through his apartment, torn between the necessity
of presenting himself to Nicole's notice at once, and the prudent notion that
it would be wise to wait until the unpleasantness of his parents' intrusion had
faded.

But
necessity won. It was vital that he make Nicole's acquaintance before she was
presented—an heiress never wanted for admirers, and Edward was not blind to
that fact.

He
entirely discounted Christopher as a threat. To Edward's way of thinking, if
young Saxon had designs on the heiress he would have compromised her and
compelled her to marry him before returning her to England.

The
attack on his father disturbed him not at all, nor did it arouse any desire for
revenge. He was furious with William's stupid handling of the affair and cursed
his parents' fumbling ineptness.

After
several hours of careful plotting he decided he would, after all, call at once
on his cousin, professing to be newly arrived in town. He would naturally be
shocked and horrified when he learned what had happened. Composing his features
into an expression of sorrow and horror, he stared into his mirror. Exactly.
That looked excellent! It gave his profile that appearance of manly
embarrassment so endearing to the ladies.

Intent
upon creating a favorable impression on his cousin, Edward prepared himself
with extreme care the next morning. He chose a coat of deep blue superfine;
pantaloons of buff-colored duck; shining Hessians with long, silky gold
tassels; a white cravat starched to perfection; and a tall curly-brimmed beaver
hat and malacca walking stick. With pleasure he surveyed himself in the tall
mirror in his room and then gracefully sauntered out to bid his parents
good-bye.

Edward
wafted a careless kiss to his mother's cheek, shook hands perfunctorily with
his father, saw them to their coach, and watched dispassionately until it
disappeared down the cobbled street; then he turned and stepped languidly into
his own waiting vehicle—a tilbury purchased just the prior afternoon. As it was
now some minutes after eleven o'clock, he drove directly to Cavendish Square;
his confidence was such that it never crossed his mind that he might not be
welcome at Lord Saxon's home.

Twickham
read the proffered card with something like amazement, for there was no denying
this young Adonis bore little resemblance to the older branch of the family.
Fastidiously Twickham showed Edward into a small parlor just off the entrance
hall.

Edward
nodded pleasantly and spent the intervening moments assessing the worth of the
furnishings in the room. He had just decided that Lord Saxon must be very warm
in the pocket, judging by the plush carpet and velvet chairs, when Simon
entered the room.

"Why
do you want to see Miss Ashford?" he barked aggressively.

Edward
allowed his features to take on their most winning expression. "Oh, I do
beg your pardon, sir, but if it is not too very inconvenient I would like most
awfully to see my cousin." Looking slightly embarrassed, he went on,
"I must apologize for my parents' actions yesterday morning. I have just
arrived in London this morning and regret that I was not here to prevent such
an unfortunate scene from occurring. I hope most sincerely that my cousin does
not blame me."

Uneasily
Simon eyed the young man before him. Twickham had warned him, but mere words
could not convey Edward's good looks. Simon, like many of his generation,
distrusted such blatant masculine beauty. He would have been more favorably
impressed if Edward had some physical flaw to mar the perfection of his
features. But Simon was fair-minded and the boy seemed sincere. And he was
Nicole's cousin.

"She
don't!" Simon finally said, grudgingly answering Edward's question.
"But you can't hold her to account if she's not eager to meet you. Your
father, I'm sorry to say, cut up mighty rough yesterday. No doubt you've heard
what happened."

Exhibiting
an ashamed countenance, Edward manfully bit his lip. "Of course. I
understand. And you may tell her for me that I have convinced my parents to
return to the country. They are, as I am, deeply distressed by what
occurred."

"They
should be!" Simon snorted. And as Christopher had not yet told anyone what
had transpired between himself and William Markham, Simon was inclined to be
well disposed toward the young man who had caused the elder Markhams to retreat
from the field. He shot Edward another penetrating glance, and then having
decided that Nicole might be pleased to meet this charming cousin of hers, he
commanded, "Come with me then. Your cousin is in the morning room with
Lady Darby, my sister, and Mrs. Eggleston."

When
he was ushered into the morning room a moment later, Edward's charm was at its
height. With apparent deep respect he bowed to Lady Darby and Mrs. Eggleston
and said to the latter, "How fortunate for us that my cousin was in your
safekeeping, madame. I can never thank you enough for returning her to England
unharmed. I must add, too, that we missed you intolerably once you had left
Beddington's Corner."

Mrs.
Eggleston, while having a momentary qualm, remembering that he had not always
been particularly pleasant to herself or Nicole as a boy, was inclined to be
bedazzled, by his perfect manner and seemingly sincere smile. Regina, having
nothing to go on but his parents' deplorable actions, was willing to be lulled
by his delightful character. Only Nicole regarded him doubtfully, when at last
he approached her.

She
was standing near an open window that overlooked the town garden, and the
bright sun, streaming in on her hair, had blazed a fiery glow in the depths of
the dark curls. Wearing a gown of pale yellow muslin that gently clung to her
breasts before falling in graceful folds to her feet, she appeared like a young
goddess.

Not
surprisingly, Edward was taken aback. Not only by the tall slimness, but by the
almost haunting beauty of the delicately boned face. "Nicole?" he
asked uncertainly.

His
astonishment was obvious and Nicole dimpled in enjoyment, her straight white
teeth flashing as she smiled. "Yes, cousin, it is I."

Edward,
thinking suddenly that marriage with his cousin might not be as unpleasant as
it had first appeared, grinned at her with delight. "I simply cannot
believe it! It is, I know, ill-mannered of me to mention it, but, cuz, you have
changed all out of recognition!" Edward said with an easy laugh.

"An
improvement, I trust?"

"Oh,
yes!" Edward breathed, for once sincere, though hardly besotted. He would
freely admit Nicole was beautiful. He would also admit that many a man would be
more than fortunate to wed her, money aside, but all she represented to him was
a great deal of wealth. A wife wasn't high on the list of things Edward yearned
for— even a beautiful one.

During
the following hour he exerted his not inconsiderable charm to ingratiate
himself not only with his cousin, but with Lord Saxon and Lady Darby as well.
It proved a successful endeavor, and he was flushed with satisfaction when he
departed an hour later with one of the gilt-edged invitations to Nicole's
coming-out ball tucked in a pocket.

The
elder ladies of Cavendish Square were most dismayed by Edward's appearance.
"Really!" Regina cried vexedly the moment they were alone. "You
would think Simon would have more sense than to bring about a meeting between
Nicole and that gorgeous cousin of hers! Sometimes I wonder where his brains
are!"

"Oh,
dear! He is so very handsome," Mrs. Eggleston agreed sadly. Then
brightening, she added, "But Christopher is so much more . . ." She
groped hopelessly for a word.

"Virile?
Masculine? Forceful? Potent?
Sensual?"
Regina asked dryly.

"All
of those!" Mrs. Eggleston said with a blush.

"Well,
that's all well and good, but proper young women are not supposed to notice
such things!" Regina snapped. "They are supposed to be wooed gently
by polite phrases and beautiful manners, not swept off their feet by a man like
my grandnephew!"

"I
know, I know," Mrs. Eggleston muttered agitatedly. "But sometimes,
Gina, I wonder..."