The Notorious Nobleman (7 page)

He proved that theory by reaching out to
lightly cup one hand against the softness of her cheek. The touch
of his palm against her skin seared her senses. She looked up at
him, her green eyes wide, and her body reacting as if it were
suddenly on fire.

He lowered his head slightly as if he were
going to kiss her but his lips stopped just short of hers.

“
Shall we see if you can be made to
alter your optimistic opinion of me?” he asked, sending the warmth
of his breath dancing against her face.

Julia swallowed hard and said, in a voice
barely above a whisper, “I have heard nothing yet that will change
my mind.”

“
Are you certain?” he asked, very
quietly, and he watched her green eyes widen slightly. “Are you
that convinced you know me so well, Julia Pettingale?”

“
Yes,” she said, confidently, although
her voice was little more than a whisper.

Gavin let his hand drop and stepped back from
her. He had known many women in his life, but never one like Julia
Pettingale. She was such a contradiction: her fiery red hair pulled
tightly back in a ribbon that begged to be untied; her proper
riding habit covered her from neck to wrist while showing off her
figure; her porcelain skin held the hint of a blush even while she
defiantly looked him in the eye. He had a sense that she was a
woman who could give as much as she got, who didn’t back down from
a challenge. “Lord, you could drive a man to madness,” he muttered
as he moved away to put a little more distance between them. As he
did so, the door of the sitting room burst opened.

Without announcement or preamble the Reverend
Mr. Clouster and his wife, Harriet, sailed into the room, still
possessed of their cloaks, hats, and gloves.

“
Julia, we have come to take you home!”
said the vicar, in a loud and forceful tone, as if he expected to
meet with opposition. “We came as soon as we received word you were
here!”

Harriet swept up to Julia and gave her
a quick hug, then held her by the shoulders, saying earnestly, “My
dear friend, you look a fright! Your eyes were like saucers just
now when we came in and your face

My dear, you look as thought you had been made
to suffer the most beastly shock!” She cast a sidelong glance at
the Gavin and said, in a meaningful voice, “I hope, my dear, you
have been quite
safe
.”

“
Harriet, leave this to me,” said the
young vicar, fully mindful of his duty. He squared his shoulders
and faced the Duke with purpose. “Duke, I—I demand to be told what
occurred here today. I demand to know what outrage you meant to
commit by abducting this young woman.”

“
There has been no outrage, Clouster,
and no abduction, so save your breath,” said the Gavin,
dampeningly.

“
So says you! But I dare say Julia may
have a different notion; and if any harm has come to her, I—I shall
knock you down, Warminster!”

Gavin drew his imposingly muscled body up to
its full height. “You may certainly try.”

Julia shook off Harriet’s hold and stepped
between the two men. “No! There shall be no fighting! You must
believe me when I say nothing untoward occurred today.”

“
Julia,” said the vicar, sternly, “I
know of what sort of behavior this man is capable. I also know your
innocence is no match for his wiles.”

“
You are mistaken,” Julia insisted.
“The duke has been very kind to me.”

Mr. Clouster looked suspicious. “Is that
true, Warminster? Nothing occurred out of place?”

“
Are you doubting the lady’s word,
Clouster?”

The vicar was not a man who relished
the notion of a physical confrontation

especially a confrontation with a man of the
Duke’s size and reputation

but he was determined to do the right thing by
Julia. He drew himself up and said, doggedly, “Warminster, do I
have your assurance or don’t I?”

“
For what it’s worth,” said Gavin,
“yes. You have my assurance that nothing untoward
occurred.”

“
And you have my assurance, as well,”
said Julia.

Harriet came forward then to clasp her hands
in an earnest grip. “Thank heavens! When I think of what might have
happened . . . Only we shall not speak of that now for you are too
modest, too innocent, to believe anything but good may exist in the
world.” She wrapped her arm around Julia’s shoulders and began to
lead her toward the door. “Our carriage is outside, my dear, and we
shall have you home straight away. Then you may forget all about
this unpleasant and unfortunate business!”

“
But, Harriet, it wasn’t unpleasant and
it certainly wasn’t unfortunate. In fact, I should venture to say
it was great of piece of luck that the duke should have come upon
me in the thunderstorm!” Julia shook off Harriet’s hold and turned
toward Gavin, unwilling to leave without proving to Harriet and her
husband that they were wrong about him.

But he had turned away to stand at the side
table where he poured out another glass of wine; and when he was
done and turned back toward her, he favored Julia with no more than
the merest and coolest of nods.

It was difficult for Julia to believe that
the duke could look upon her with such coldness when only moments
before he had held her and comforted her with exquisite tenderness.
But she had no opportunity to dwell on the change in him, for
Harriet had renewed her efforts to guide Julia toward the door.
With her arm again draped about Julia’s shoulders, she and led her
relentlessly out into the hallway and down the stairs toward the
front door.

Only when they were in the Clouster’s
carriage and at last on their way to the vicarage did anyone speak
again; and then it was Harriet who ventured to say, “My dearest
friend, you may tell me the truth. Was the duke

Was he quite odious? Did he subject you to his
unwanted attentions? You may feel free to confide it to
me!”

“
Harriet, I assure you, nothing of the
kind occurred.”

“
But when we came upon you just now,
you were standing so close together, I thought perhaps . . . Well,
I thought, perhaps, he might have taken advantage of your
situation. He is, after all, a man capable of the most horrid
behavior!”

“
Harriet, you are a dear friend, but I
wish you would not repeat such vile gossip!”

“
It isn’t merely gossip,” said the
vicar, gravely. “My dear, Julia, you are a friend and so I must
tell you: the Duke of Warminster is not a man to be trusted. His
past actions and his present behavior are not those of an honorable
gentleman. He is a known libertine!”

Harriet placed one gloved hand over
Julia’s arm and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “Of course, you’re
so good and dear that you cannot imagine anyone having as
questionable a reputation as the duke enjoys. I blame myself. I
should have warned you of him when you first arrived. I should have
told you to avoid his presence at all costs. I should
have

”

“
You should have told me he had been
married,” said Julia, and she watched Harriet and the vicar
exchange startled glances.

“
We don’t usually speak of that,” said
Mr. Clouster. “The story of Warminster’s marriage is one of
far-reaching tragedy and sadness.”

Harriet nodded. “And before you feel the
least bit of sympathy for the man, you must be made aware of the
facts. Yes, he was married, my dear; but, you see, it is rumored
that his wife died by his hand.”

“
That rumor is not true!” protested
Julia.

“
We have no manner in which to confirm
or deny the story, but there is a very strong suspicion in the
neighborhood over the circumstances of the duchess’s death,” said
the vicar. “Warminster has been taking up and then discarding women
ever since

although not, I
grant you, with the same degree of ruthlessness.”

“
Has he had many women?” Julia asked,
and immediately wished she hadn’t.

“
Quite a few, as I’ve been told,” said
the vicar. “If only half the rumors concerning his behavior are to
be believed, the duke does everything to excess

Gambling, drinking. I doubt very much that
women are an exception to that rule.”

“
Let me understand you,” Julia said.
“You are not certain that the duke has taken up with many
women

you only suppose so
because of his reputation?”

Mr. Clouster looked at her with a smile of
kind pity. “My dear friend, his past behavior must be the ruler
against which his present behavior is measured.”

Julia became aware of a sudden trembling in
her body, as if within her a war waged between her usually sensible
brain and her now rampant emotions. Common sense told her an entire
village full of people could not be wrong; that there had to be
some element of truth to all the many rumors concerning the Duke of
Warminster’s character. He himself had told her that he moved in a
circle that was what she most abhored; a circle of gamblers and
drinkers and men who placed more import on sport than on the decent
comfort of their families and homes; men who were just as her
husband had been.

Yet some niggling feeling persisted that
while everything she had learned about him was true, Lord
Warminster was a good man worthy of trust. “I cannot judge him
based on his past behavior when I have only just met him today. But
I can say that, although he spoke harshly to me at first, his
actions and manners were gentle and kind.”

Harriet clasped her hands over Julia’s in a
meaningful grip. “Julia, dear, you know we have only your welfare
at heart. It is very admirable that you have so much goodness that
you should want to defend a man of Warminster’s ilk. How very like
you! But you must not dwell upon what has occurred here this
evening.”

“
Harriet is right. It is best we say no
more about this unfortunate episode,” pronounced the vicar. “If
anyone were to discover you were alone in that man’s company, your
reputation would never recover!”

“
It’s true, you know,” said Harriet.
“You would be quite ruined if it were known that you associated
with the duke, to say nothing of having spent time alone with
him!”

“
But it was all so innocent!” said
Julia.

“
I know, my dear. Yet it would be so
simple for someone to misinterpret what occurred. After all, two
people, quite alone, and one of them enjoying a most scandalous
reputation . . . “ Harriet allowed her voice to trail off
meaningfully.

Mr. Clouster fixed Julia with a stern
look. “Your first

and
only!

encounter with the Duke
of Warminster is over, Julia. For your sake, and the sake of your
reputation, we must never speak of it again. Thankfully, the odds
are against any chance that his path shall ever again cross
yours.”

Three days later, in the drawing room at the
vicarage, Julia Pettingale pinned a length of borrowed ribbon to
the sleeves of one of her oft-worn evening gowns, and stepped back
to study the effect.

Her friend, Harriet Clouster, looked up from
the book she was reading, and said, approvingly, “That will look
very smart, my dear. How clever of you to think of making your old
gowns look new, merely by adding a bow here or there.”

Julia, too, was pleased. “I was certain the
blue of the ribbon would go very well with this dress. Thank you,
Harriet, for lending it to me.”

“
It is not a loan, my dear; you may
keep the ribbon, with my blessing. I hope it may bring you
luck.”

“
I shall need more than luck if I am to
find a husband among the gentlemen attending the village
assemblies,” said Julia, sensibly. “You will be sure, won’t you, to
point out to me the most eligible of men?”

“
Of course! I dare say there are any
number of local gentlemen who shall make very nice husbands. One,
in particular, should suit you very well, I think. He is quite
handsome and of a very happy disposition.”

“
He sounds very much like the sort of
man I should like to meet. Does this paragon have a name?” asked
Julia.

“
He is Mr. Worthing, and since there
have been any number of young ladies on the scramble for him over
the years, you may count yourself lucky if he should take you in
regard. Of course, you are quite the prettiest young woman to come
into our village in some time, and your disposition is so sunny. I
should think that in little time you shall find yourself surrounded
by suitors, including Mr. Worthing. Your social
success

at least in our
little neighborhood

is
assured!”