Surrender (46 page)

 
Do you swear to me that you did not

arrange for my aunt to discover us that

first time at the inn?"

Anger snapped to life within him, driving

out much of the contentment he had been

enjoying. He pushed himself up on one

elbow and scowled down at her.
 
Damn

it, Vicky, I set out to seduce you, not

humiliate you. How can you think I would

deliberately do such a thing?"

 
You said, yourself, you were determined

to marry an heiress."

 
I
 
was
  
determined
 
to
 
marry you,"
 
he

corrected roughly,
 
not just any heiress.

Furthermore, to be perfectly blunt about

it, my dear, I had no need to resort to

extreme measures such as arranging for

your aunt to discover us in compromising

circumstances."

Her brows came together in a swift

frown.
 
What do you mean by that?"

 
Only that I was doing a creditable job

of seducing you into marriage just fine

on my own. I did not require anyone

else's assistance. At the rate we were

going, it would have been only a matter

of time before you talked yourself into

marrying me."

 
Why, you arrogant beast." She tried to

push herself away from him and sit up.

Lucas grinned and threw one leg over

her bare thighs. He rolled back on top

of her, pinning her wrists to the floor on

either side of her head.
 
Tis true and you

know it, sweetheart. Admit it. Admit you

could not possibly have conducted the sort

of torrid love affair you wished for unless

we got married. It would have proved

impossible."

She glared up at him, struggling futilely.

 
It would have been possible. It merely

required planning."

 
I assure you, when it comes to planning

and strategy, I am very, very good and

even I could not have kept you content

or safe for long. Hell, I could not even

manage it that one time we tried to seclude

ourselves at the inn. And it would have

been impossible for you to steal away from

a soiree to run off to an inn in a strange

coach every time you wanted to make love.

Sooner or later someone would have been

bound to notice."

 
I would have been most discreet,"

Victoria insisted.

 
Is that right? And what would we have

done when the Season was over and there

were very few large parties from which you

could disappear without being noticed?"

She bit her lip in annoyance.
 
I would

have thought of something."

 
No, love. We were headed for trouble

right from the start."

 
And you knew it."

 
Of course I knew it. As you are far

from being an idiot, you would soon

have come to your senses and realized

it also. At that point I am convinced you

would have started to think seriously about

marrying me." He smiled deliberately.
 
To

be perfectly truthful, given your appetite

for intellectual inquiry, I do not believe I

would have had to wait too long."

She went still and looked up at him

through her lashes.
 
You were so sure of

me you took to carrying a special license

in your pocket."

I wanted to be prepared. We were

playing with fire, love."

Victoria closed her eyes to his satisfied

grin.
 
And I got burned."

 
Are the flames so bad?" he asked softly,

brushing his mouth across hers. His body

reacted immediately and he groaned.

 
I have given the situation much thought

during the past few days," she said, her

expression very serious now.
 
If the world

were a different place, I would never have

chosen marriage."

Her insistence on that point began to

annoy him. He scowled.
 
If the world

were a different place, I would not have

been obliged to capture an heiress."

 
True. Lucas, as I said, I have given

this much thought. We both did what

was required of us by our sense of honor

and now we have been forced to seal a

bargain. This is something of a business

arrangement. I have decided to think of

our marriage in that light. I see us as

two business associates who have invested

in the same enterprise."

Lucas frowned.
 
I do not like all this

talk of going into trade."

She shook her head restlessly.
 
Think

of it how you will; the point is, we are

investing together in a future, and as long

as we can find a way to work comfortably

together, I begin to believe we can be

reasonably content together."

 
Reasonably content," he echoed, think

ing seriously of putting her over his knee,

 
Is that how you felt a few minutes ago

when you were shivering in my arms?

Reasonably content?"

The flush on her face was more than

just the effect of the fire's warmth.
 
Really,

Lucas. A gentleman would not ask such an

intimate question."

 
How would you know? You haven't

been with any other gentlemen in such

circumstances."

 
I can hazard a guess," she retorted.

 
Besides, that is not the issue."

 
And what is the issue? You mean to

think of our marriage as a partnership?

An investment? A business arrangement

in which the associates happen to sleep

together?" His eyes caught hers in a

burning gaze.

 
But is that not precisely what it is? Isn't

that what you wanted?"

 
No, damn it.
 
Tis not at all what I

wanted."

 
I see. Perhaps you do not care for the

notion of me being an equal partner?

Perhaps you just wanted my money and

would prefer I stay out of the matter

entirely, except insofar as I am needed

to provide your heir."

 
Vicky,
 
Vicky,
  
calm
 
yourself.
 
You
 
are

twisting my words and getting everything

wrong."

 
I am trying to do as everyone says I

must. I am attempting to find a sensible,

intelligent way to deal with this matter.

I thought you would be pleased that

I am finally being so reasonable about

everything."

Lucas fought to quell his outrage.
 
I

don't want a business associate, I want

a wife."

 
What is the difference, other than the

fact that as your wife I shall share your

bed occasionally?"

 
It will be more than occasionally and

the difference is that you love me, madam.

You said so yourself."

Her eyes widened.
 
I did not."

 
Yes, you did. That first night at the inn.

I heard you."

 
I only said I thought I was in love with

you. In any case, all that is naturally

changed by what happened."

 
The devil it is." His fingers tightened

on her wrists.
 
Vicky, stop talking all this

nonsense about a business arrangement.

We are man and wife."

 
Are you saying there is more to our

relationship than a bargain?"

 
Of course there is."

Her eyes narrowed.
 
Are you claiming

to be in love with me, then, my lord?"

You would not believe me if I told you I

was." He released her and sat up, adjusting

his clothing.

 
Who knows? Why don't you try it

and see?"

He looked at her and did not quite know

what to make of the look in her eyes. But

she was challenging him, of that much he

was certain.
 
What do you want from me,

Vicky?"

 
What I imagine every new bride wishes

to hear/ she said coolly.
 
A declaration

of undying love and a promise of eternal

devotion. But I am not likely to get it,

am I?"

 
Bloody hell." He stood up, sensing the

treacherous sand beneath his feet. Women

were the very devil with words and a

woman like this one would know how

to take full advantage of any leverage he

gave her. He'd already had ample proof

of how skillfully she could maneuver him

into going against his own better judgment.

Just the memory of those dreadful nights

climbing Lady Nettleship's garden wall was

enough to start his leg aching again.
 
You

tease me at your peril, madam."

 
Does that mean you cannot give me

what I want?"

 
I do not trust your mood, Vicky, nor

whatever is behind your request. I believe

you are looking for a way to manipulate

me. If I gave you a declaration of undying

love and eternal devotion, you would hurl

it in my face every time I refused to

indulge one of your whims. You would

say I had lied about loving you."

 
Does that mean you do not love me?"

 
It means it was a goddamned mistake to

indulge you so much initially in London.

You have come to expect that with very

little effort you can keep me on a leash,"

he said through his teeth.

 
I see." She got slowly to her feet and

concentrated on arranging her clothing.

Lucas stared at her slender, rigidly held

back, feeling hunted. A few minutes ago

they had been sharing a passion unlike

any he had ever known. Now the fragile

relationship seemed to have been shattered

by mere words. For the life of him he could

not figure out where everything had gone

wrong.

 
Vicky, don't do this to yourself." He

turned her around and pulled her into

his arms. He thought he heard a small

sniff and he immediately felt helpless. He

did not like the feeling at all.
 
You are no

green girl, damn it."

She hesitated and then nodded reluctantly

against his shoulder, her face buried

in his shirt.
 
You are right. I am behaving

like a silly little chit straight out of the

schoolroom who cannot face the world as

it is." She pulled back and looked up at

him with renewed determination.
 
As I

said, Lucas, I do believe this marriage

can work if we both agree to act logically

and reasonably. I vow I will uphold my

end of this bargain."

He looked down into eyes that still

shimmered with tears and he did not

know what to say. He realized he wanted

to hear the sweet, tentative words of love

he had heard from her that first night, but

he sensed that now was not the time to

demand them.

 
Vicky?"

 
Yes, my lord?"

 
Thank you for making up your mind to

make the best of this marriage," he heard

himself say gently.
 
I am grateful."

 
You are welcome, my lord."

He grimaced a little at the excruciating

formality of her tone but managed a

reassuring smile. As he stood looking down

at her the amber pendant glowed in the

firelight and Lucas relaxed slightly.

It would be all right, he decided. She

would find the words again in her own

good time.
 
Do not tie yourself in knots

trying to dissect your feelings, Vicky. Or

mine." He touched the gold chain of the

pendant and smiled.
 
Everything will come

right in time. Let's go home."

She
  
nodded
  
in
  
swift
  
agreement
  
and

stood back as he shook out her cloak.

The garment was dusty but otherwise

unharmed. He put it around her, thinking

that even though she was tall for a woman,

she was still considerably smaller than he

was. He was aware again of a fierce need

to protect her and keep her safe.

 
Lucas," she said thoughtfully as he put

out the fire,
 
if you did not arrange for

us to be discovered that night at the inn,

who did?"

He shrugged.
 
Who knows?"

 
Lady Atherton, perhaps? In her never

ending zeal to assist you in your quest for

an heiress?"

He grinned, relieved to hear the returning

edge of impudence in her voice.
 
Tis

possible, I suppose. Does it matter? What's

done is done." He took her arm and led

her toward the door.

 
You are quite right," she said slowly.

 
What's done is done. But there were one

or two rather odd things that happened to

me recently in Town and combined with

the mystery of wondering who had been

spying on us, I began to think."

 
About what?"

 
Never mind.
 
Tis just my imagination."

Lucas went cold. He dragged her to

an abrupt halt just outside the cottage.

 
Victoria, what in hell are you talking

about? What odd things happened?"

Really, Lucas, it was nothing, I'm sure."

 
I would like an answer, madam."

 
Do you know, Lucas, when you talk

in that particular tone, there is a strong

tendency for everyone in the vicinity to

jump through the nearest hoop. Did you

learn that in the army?"

He prayed silently for patience.
 
Enough,

Victoria. Tell me what made you ask me

about who might have spied on us. Tell

me now, wife, or we will stand here until

you do."

 
It occurs to me that on the two occasions

when we have conducted our intellectual

inquiries, you have not been particularly

affectionate afterward. The first time I

will grant there was the extenuating

circumstance of my aunt's presence. But

this time there is no excuse. Is it this way

with all men?"

 
You cannot resist goading me, can you?

One of these days you really will push too

far. Answer me or we are likely to discover

that this is the day."

Victoria shrugged.
 
Very well, but it

really does not amount to much. It is

just that on two occasions in Town I

came across objects that did not belong

to me. They were both marked with a

 
W." One was a scarf that had been left

on the conservatory door. I found it that

night we went to the gaming hell."

The night you were nearly run down by

that carriage." Lucas frowned.
 
What was

the other object?"

 
A snuffbox, of all things. I found it in

my paintbox."

 
And no one ever claimed either object?"

 
No." She shook her head and resumed

walking back toward the house.

He fell into step beside her, trying to

think.
 
When did you find the snuffbox?"

She muttered a response that he did not

quite catch.

He flicked an impatient glance at her

averted face.
 
What was that?"

 
I said I found it the morning after our

last, fateful interview in my aunt's garden.

You may recall the evening, my lord. It

was the night I asked you to arrange for

us to, uh
 
."

 
Oh, yes. That night. Fateful, indeed."

He turned her words over in his mind,

looking for a pattern that was not there.

 
Tis strange."

 
Why do you say that?"

 
I was attacked by a footpad that night

on my way back to the carriage," he

explained briefly.
 
I wondered at the time

if the man might have been deliberately

waiting for me, but I dismissed it as

unlikely."

Victoria whirled around, her eyes wide

with shock.
 
You were attacked? By a

footpad? Why didn't you tell me? For

heaven's sake, Lucas, you should have

said something."

 
Such as?" Her renewed concern for his

safety pleased and reassured him.

 
Do not be flippant. This is a very

serious matter. You could have been hurt.

Did he take your money or your watch?"

 
No, he did not."

 
No, of course not," she agreed quickly.