Wildfire Kiss (17 page)

“I heard that you were involved in something that
caused you a great deal of unhappiness and that you retired to your
country home to weather the storm.” She smiled sweetly at him and
touched his face.

He grabbed her hand with his good one, held it to
his cheek, and kissed it feverishly. “I have no right to put you in
this situation. The ravages of that scandal would haunt you as well
if you became my wife.”

She moved away from the bed and sat quietly on the
window seat. She didn’t want to look at him.

He became desperate and called out to her, “Corry,
dearest love … look at me. Corry, please don’t turn your back
on me …
not yet.”

She turned and went to him. “It grieves me that you
think so little of me that I would care what the silly beau monde
thinks over my own good opinion. Do you not know me, Freddy?”

He held his arm out to her. “Corry … love of my
life … Corry … first you must hear what it is.”

“It is nothing,” she answered.

“I am a fiend!” he responded.

“Then tell me do, and we shall see if you are so,”
she said softly and kissed his lips.

He held her neck, put his head to hers, and
whispered, “Yes, I shall tell you all …”

***

Babs closed her eyes. A bombardment of bile started
up in her throat.
He was a fiend.
He meant to blackmail her
into something … but what?

Why was he doing this? She didn’t want to open her
eyes, but the dark began to swirl, and she felt him put an arm
about her. She finally opened her eyes and nearly swooned. She
wouldn’t, couldn’t be brought low by this awful, awful man!

He looked concerned as he steadied her. “Do not
fear, darling. I don’t mean to hurt you—if I don’t have to.”

“What … what made you suspect the book was
written by me?”

“I have been watching you … wanting you. Do you
think I would not know you simply because you took the alias of a
man?” he answered simply. “There were times when I read the lines
and nearly saw you standing there saying the words.” He sighed.
“That with the fact that I am fully aware you had a few articles
published in the ladies magazine … it wasn’t all that
difficult to come to the conclusion that you are the mysterious
Felix.”

She steadied herself. “Right then, have at me. What
is it you want?”

“No … ask me instead, so there can be no
misunderstanding, ask me what I want for my silence.”

She eyed him doubtfully and said, “I would think
that you would remain the gentleman I had always believed you to
be … and that would keep you silent, as you are honor-bound to
do.”

He laughed without mirth. “Oh, no, honor in this
instance means naught to me. You, my delightful Lady Babs, I want
you.”

She sucked in air. “Me? You want me? I may have
scribbled out a novel, my buck, but I am not some wench you can
call to your bed with such a threat.”

He laughed again and attempted to flick her nose.
She pulled roughly away. “Don’t dare try to touch me. You are a
brute and a scoundrel.”

“No, my darling, you mistake … I want you in my
bed, yes, but as my bride.”

Her bottom lip dropped. She was angry, but she had
to find a way out of this. She had to stall him. “Sir Edward, never
say you want a woman you must blackmail into marrying you?”

“You are young and do not know your own mind. You
will learn to love me … and enjoy our union,” he said
confidently. He eyed her and said, “I cannot be manipulated with
words. I cannot be shamed into forgoing what I want. I want you,
and I mean to have you. Once you are my wife, you will learn to
please me and in so doing will be pleased yourself. You shall
see!”

“You villain … please you … I will loathe
you for forcing me into a loveless marriage,” she seethed as she
lost control of her temper.

He grabbed her and shook her. “Take care. I have the
means to destroy your father. I will say you wrote and published
this book with his full knowledge because he was in debt … I
will ruin him and your Aunt Jane!”

She gasped. Could he be so wicked? If she had to be
ruined in the eyes of the world she traveled in, so be it, but her
father … her aunt. She couldn’t bear the thought of shaming
them in this way. She tried one more tactic. “How can you want me?
My heart is elsewhere engaged.”

“You have a schoolgirl crush on the duke. I am not a
fool. You will get over him.”

“I will not,” she answered softly.

“I will tell him as well. I will make him my first
stop … we will see if he wants you then!” he snapped
angrily.

“No! No … please … he doesn’t know how I
feel, and he doesn’t want me!” she wailed.

“Doesn’t he? More fool he,” said Sir Edward. “I
cannot imagine a man not wanting you.” He reached for her, but she
took a hurried step away from him. “Darling, I love you and mean to
treat you always with care and attention, as befits my
bride …”

“I don’t want to be your bride. You should want
someone who wants you back.” She tried pleading logic. “I am …
unwilling—you cannot want an unwilling bride.”

“So long as that bride is you,” he answered on a
hard note.

“Give me time … I have to think …” Babs
again stalled, hoping to find a way out of this predicament.

He chortled. “No.”

She touched his arm. “Ned … may I call you
Ned?”

“It is my fondest wish that you will do so,” he said
on a husky note.

“Then do but hear me out. At least honor me with a
few weeks courtship.”

“You already had that and refused me,” he snapped
impatiently. He sighed. “However, I will give you a few days time
before I send in the announcement of our engagement to the
newspapers.”

“A few days …?” she squeaked. What was she
going to do? “You can’t mean to woo me in just a few days?”

“My dear, I don’t mean to woo you at all. I mean to
take you.”

She surveyed him coldly. “Do you know, Sir
Edward …” she said, purposely dropping the ‘Ned’, “that a man
obsessed with winning does not always find satisfaction with the
prize? You might want to remember that when Leander swam the
Hellespont, he was a man driven by true love’s hottest blood, but
having gone the distance, he was unable to make the girl! This
might just turn out the same for you …” she warned.

He reached out and gripped her arm roughly, and his
answer was to bend and take her lips by force. Though he found them
soft, though he found her mouth sweet, he also discovered a
hellcat.
She bit him.

He jumped away from her and held his hand to his
mouth. “You will never get away with that again.” He shook his
head. “I might just end by wishing you and yours ill and whispering
your secret to anyone who will listen … and they will
listen!”

She gasped, and he grabbed her again. “Babs, when I
am done, your lips will part for mine, and you will whisper my name
against my ear.”

“No, Sir Edward, I will not. You take by force that
which can never be yours.”

His brows moved and his eyes were slits of fury. “We
shall see.” He let her go. “In the meantime, you will inform the
duke that you intend to become my bride and that he is no longer
welcome at your side.”

“I shall do no such thing,” she snapped back. She
was now in tears.

“Won’t you, my love? Then perhaps I shall.” He
started to move off.

“Please …” she called after him. “Sir Edward,
it is unnecessary. He has no wish to marry me.”

“And still, I would have him know.” Sir Edward’s
gaze was hard and cold.

Lowering her eyes, she tried to stem her tears and
prohibit the catch in her throat from oversetting her. “Sir Edward,
if it is your wish that the duke be told such news, then,
yes
, you tell him.”

He was taken aback. He had genuinely wanted the news
to come from her. He was doubtful that the duke would believe him.
Was that her game?

She smiled, for she could see he meant to call her
bluff as he said, “It will give me the greatest pleasure to give
him our wonderful news.”

“Sir Edward, it won’t do you any good. I have lost
my heart to him, and therefore, you shall never have it,” she told
him bluntly.

He fired up but controlled himself. “Is that so? We
shall see, for this first round has gone to me, as will all the
others in the end.”

She watched him go and leaned back against the oak
tree for support. She wanted to sob her heart out, but she needed a
clear head. Somehow she pulled herself together and said out loud,
“
Do you think so, villain
? I do not …”

***

Sir Edward sent his card in for the duke,
anticipating the moment when he would deliver the news that Lady
Babs had accepted to be his wife. He wanted to rub it into his
rival’s face. He wanted this moment of glory almost as much as he
wanted the Lady Babs. He stood in the squire’s central hall and
twirled his hat about with glee as he waited.

He had seen the look on Lord Wildfire … huh,
Wildfire indeed … but he had seen the look on his face
whenever he glanced at the Lady Babs. This would come as a blow,
and he reveled in the notion.

The duke came out to greet him and invited him into
the library where there was, he told him, some hot tea.

“I am not here on a social visit, and I don’t
require tea,” Sir Edward said grimly.

The duke’s expressive brows rose. “Really? Well
then … I don’t mean to stand here in the drafty hall when we
can be more comfortable in the library. Stay or go … your
choice.”

Sir Edward inclined his head and followed the duke
into the library, irritated to have lost this first round. He had
not wanted this to be more than a slap in the face. He had never
liked the duke or understood why the beau monde insisted on fawning
over him. The duke’s interest in Babs had spurred Ned to dislike
him further. How dare the man cast eyes on the woman of Ned’s
choice!

Once in the library, the duke picked up the brandy
and tipped it to Sir Edward, who did in fact wish a glass but
declined. The duke poured himself a glass and sipped it as he moved
towards his desk. Then he set it down to say, “So then, Ned, since
this is not a social call … what the deuce brings you here?”
The duke was as ever direct.

Sir Edward decided to take the lead. He put his hat
and gloves on a side table and took a seat. He waited for the duke
to do the same.

“
Certes,
man, you look as though you mean to
challenge me to a duel,” said the duke on a short laugh, remaining
where he was.

Sir Edward gave him a crooked smile, because, once
again, he had not forced the duke to follow his lead. Instead of
sitting, the duke leaned back against the large oak desk and folded
his arms across his chest to eye him quizzically. Sir Edward was
infuriated still more.

“The matter I am about to discuss with you concerns
a lady we both know … and both have an interest in,” said Sir
Edward.

“Ah,” remarked the duke softly.

Sir Edward still had not gotten the upper hand.
There was nothing for it but to dive into the subject full force.
“Indeed.”

The duke appeared supremely irritated and said, “Get
to the point, Ned. I am not noted for patience.”

“I am speaking of Lady Barbara. You see, she has
this afternoon done me the honor of accepting my suit. I look
forward to making her my wife in the very near future.”
At
last
, thought Sir Edward, watching the duke stand straight up
and observing the man’s face twitch with doubt, disbelief, and
finally anger.
At last, by God, he had
overset
him.

***

Sir Edward had in fact shocked the duke and thrown
him off his balance with this piece of unexpected information. He
could not—
would not
—believe a word of it.

After his initial agitation, he was more curious
than anything else. “Ned, I am puzzled though, for while I am
pleased to share your fortunate news, I am at a loss to understand
why it is that you should ride out of your way to advise me of
it.”

“I could not help but notice … your interest in
the Lady Babs these past weeks … and today as I arrived at the
inn, I noticed you riding off and assumed you had visited with
her.”

“”You shouldn’t make such assumptions.”

“Really, well, so that you can have no doubt, I
wanted you to be aware of how matters stand,” Sir Edward said
glibly.

“I see,” said the duke, who did not see at all.
This didn’t make sense
. He rather thought that Babs disliked
Sir Edward. This was too sudden … and after they had
shared … no, he didn’t believe any of this. Just what was Ned
up to?

“Therefore, under the circumstances, I felt it
incumbent upon myself to present the news to you in person.”

“
Did you
? That is what I don’t understand. I
would have read your news in the papers eventually.”

“As to that, we don’t plan on putting it in the
papers for ten days or so.”

“
Really?
Odd that. If Babs had decided to be
mine, I would be shouting it from the rooftops.” Now why had he
said that? Something didn’t fit. This was all wrong. Babs would
never accept to marry Sir Edward … she simply wouldn’t, and
one of those reasons had to be her connection to him … to what
they shared. Damn, she was
his,
no other’s—
his!

“As to that, we thought we would keep it a family
matter for just awhile …” Sir Edward tried explaining.

The duke eyed him doubtfully. Nothing rang true, and
Lord Wildfire was on the alert. He fancied he rather knew
his
Babs
, and suddenly, clearly, he realized that he would not
allow this to go forward. He was damned certain she wouldn’t run
from his arms into Sir Edward’s. Of that he was certain.

Indeed, he thought as his eyes narrowed. His mind
filled with his intricate cogitations, for he could see that Sir
Edward was playing a deep game … but what exactly?