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Author's Note: It's been four years since I last updated! Most have probably abandoned this story and I certainly don't blame them because I kind of did. I just want to say that I will not be actively updating this story anymore (as you can probably tell from the four year absence). I'm sorry. This chapter has been on my computer for a while and I just thought why not post it. The reason I hadn't before was because I wanted something longer, but since I really can't continue, I'm just going to post it. I'm sorry guys. I'm SO thankful for the continued reviews I get. I should take it down all together, but like you, I hope that I'll be struck with inspiration again and post! But I fear it won't happen to soon or too often. Anyway, enjoy what I have and goodbye (at least for now)!
“There will be no scandal,” Montrose said firmly. “Claire will be my wife as of Saturday morning.”
Both aunt and niece stared at the duke in horror. Violet because of the impropriety of the whole situation and Claire at the impact of hearing her fate so definitively stated. The duke himself looked absolutely determined and Uncle Charlie looked to be brimming with excitement.
“That’s wonderful, Your Grace. I will do all I can to assist you,” he stated happily.
“My lord!” Violet snapped. “There is no way. The ton will surely speculate the most horrible things about Claire and the duke. I will not have that sort of shame upon the family. Evelyn is unmarried. This will hinder her chances!”
“I don’t see what difference it would make,” he muttered under his breath.
Violet’s face flooded with colour. “I beg your pardon, my lord?”
The Marquess waved away his wife’s concern. “This is for the best, I assure you, madam. Now Claire, sweetheart, why don’t we get the modiste in to fit you for a dress, hmm?”
Montrose smiled, quite satisfied with himself. “I must be off now. I trust you will have everything ready in time,” he said to the Marquess.
Lord Cambridge nodded emphatically. “Oh yes, my niece will be well and wed in one week.”
He was smiling at her rather oddly, his impossibly grey eyes glittering in the most unsettling way. She felt her cheeks heat from sheer awareness for the first time since she had walked in with the tray of tea. Not until now that she took in the expanse of his bare torso could she fully appreciate the fact that she, unmarried and a lady, was alone in the bedchamber of an unattached gentleman to whom she bore no blood relation whatsoever. Funny, despite the red staining her cheeks, she was not as horrified as she would normally have been to have found herself in such a scandalous position. No, the only things she felt were embarrassment and a sort of excitement; perhaps due to the fact that she, Evelyn Guelph, was doing something quite improper…or it had something to do with Monsieur Laval himself and those devilish grey eyes. This revelation brought even more colour to her cheeks. She really needed to learn how to control that.
“Why the blush, mademoiselle? Have I said something to embarrass you?” Laval’s odd smile seemed to deepen as he studied her. “You’re always blushing. It seems that everything I do or say embarrasses you.”
Evelyn smiled back at him rather weakly. “No, monsieur. You haven’t said anything particularly embarrassing. It is rather the way you are looking at me that is unsettling. As if I’ve got a spot on my nose or the like.” Her eyes widened. “I don’t, do I?”
“No,” he laughed. “Your face is absolutely flawless, I assure you.”
Just when her blush was fading, it appeared again in full force. Really, she shouldn’t be thatflattered by his compliment. Almost every male she has encountered complimented on her looks. This wasn’t any different and it wasn’t even delivered with the finesse or romance that some others have in the past. It was nothing. She was being utterly foolish. “Well,” she breathed, quite flustered even as she was trying to convince herself. “I will just take care this,” she said, indicating the bowl of water and the tray of tea. “And I will return with a fresh pot.” Quickly, she gathered the things and ducked out of the room without glancing at Monsieur Laval.
When she returned to his bedchamber, she was sure that she had her nerves under control. She swore to herself that she would not be flustered in front of the Frenchman. Evelyn had no notion as to why, but she didn’t want him to think she was insipid, as she supposed she appeared to be. “Here you are, Monsieur,” she said, carefully placing the tray down beside the bed this time. She poured the tea into a cup and handed it to him.
“You realize, Mademoiselle, that it is incredibly scandalous for an unmarried lady to be alone in the same bedchamber as a bachelor who is of no relation, let alone acting as a nurse.”
Evelyn nodded gravely.
Laval smiled. “Certainly brave, but not even I will allow you to be in this position. You are released of your duty.”
“But Monsieur, I have only gotten you your tea and not fifteen minutes ago did you agree to let me nurse you!” she argued as she ignored her confusing feelings.
“I never agreed.”
“Yes, you did! You said that you deserved to have me flit around your room all day!”
He smiled oddly at her. “Yes, I certainly deserve just that, but that does not mean that I will further aggravate your delicate situation. Surely you realize your precarious position in society. The gossips are not so kind-hearted as you are”
Evelyn frowned. “Well of course I understand my position as it stands right now. I am on the edge of becoming a fallen woman. There is nothing to be done, in my opinion.” Without really realizing what she was doing, Evelyn sat down on Laval’s bed. “Monsieur Laval, please let me take care of you.” She watched him pleadingly with her hazel eyes and the oddest thing happened. She could have sworn Laval drew back slightly, a startled flicker in his eyes.
He cleared his throat, but recovered his amused serenity. “Well then, mademoiselle, if you insist. But first,” he murmured in a voice that sent a tingle down her spine. “You must kiss me.”
“I…I…but…I couldn’t possibly. It’s not proper at all and…and I don’t quite know how,” Evelyn managed to stammer out.
“Remember what you just told me, Evelyn.” It was the first time Laval had spoken her name and the way he said it…it…was shameful, that was what it was. “You are on the edge of becoming a fallen woman. You said there was nothing to be done. Perhaps, then, it would be amusing to just take a leap and be done with it, don’t you think?”
Amusing? Evelyn hardly thought kissing Sebastian Laval would be amusing. But she had never ever taken a chance before, never felt the thrill of indulging impulses. So why not?
Very slowly she leaned forward toward Laval. “That’s it,” she heard him murmur. Once she was only centimetres away from him, she closed her eyes and waited for the touch of his lips.
“You’re not quite there yet, Evelyn.”
Evelyn opened startled eyes and saw Laval’s oddly amused smile. “I…I can’t. You kiss me,” she demanded, closed her eyes and puckered her lips slightly. She heard Laval’s soft chuckle right before she felt the soft pressure of his lips on hers. It was a light touch but immediately, heat seeped through her body, catching her by surprise. She reached out and tried to find something to hold on to, but he wasn’t covered by a shirt so what she touched was the heated skin of his chest. At her touch, Laval drew in a slow breath and reached up to tilt her head back. With a combination of horror and excitement, Evelyn felt him slip his tongue between her lips.
“No!”
Evelyn jumped away from Laval and stared down at him. He wasn’t looking at her though; his attention was rather fixed at the doorway of his bedchamber. Where the shout had come from. Evelyn turned around to see Edward Dormer watching them with ill-concealed rage. She quickly leaped to her feet.
“Edward!” she breathed, her face flooding with colour once again. “What are you doing here?” Evelyn knew that Edward was interested in her, but she did not understand the depth of his interest. The bright, angry colour flushing his face, the menacing glitter in his eyes perplexed and scared her.
He took several steps toward her, pointing a shaky finger. “You little wh-”
“Careful,” murmured Laval quietly.
Edward’s angry stare turned itself to Laval. “I was cheated of the opportunity to put a bullet in your brain before, but this time, I’ve got a better idea. I’m going to kill you with my bare hands!”
“Lord Ascott, no!” Evelyn rushed to put herself between the practically charging Edward and Laval. “You can’t do this, my lord! Please, calm down,” she entreated breathlessly. “It was only a kiss and entirely my fault!”
Edward stopped and stared at Evelyn with menace. “Oh, I bet it damned well is! First you let him lead you away from that ball and now you dare to be so free with your affections. Don’t worry, Evelyn, I’ll deal with you in a moment. Now get out of the way!”
She didn’t budge from her spot between the two men and so, to her horror, Edward simply grabbed her upper arms and hauled her aside. Laval was still lounging against his pillows and didn’t look at all inclined to get up and defend himself. Evelyn almost stopped to glare at the Frenchman and his arrogant nonchalance at a time like this, but instead, she did the only thing she could think of at the moment: she proceeded to take the pot of tea she had just brought to Monsieur Laval and reached up to pour the scalding contents over Edward’s head.
He leapt back in both surprise and pain. “What the devil!” he exclaimed. He stared at Evelyn. Apparently he hadn’t felt that Evelyn was capable of doing such a thing. Normally, Evelyn would have been just as surprised at herself, but the fact that Ascott thought that way about her angered her.
She held the empty pot in her hand up threateningly. “Get out of this house immediately, Lord Ascott.” Her eyes flashed at him and she saw him hesitate. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe that he felt threatened by her physically. He could easily remove the pot from her hand before she even had the chance to contemplate bringing it into contact with his head. So, she was surprised when his face changed into a mask of patient indulgence and soft pleading. Despite the liquid dripping from his hair and clothes, he appeared his usual composed self.
“Lady Evelyn,” he began calmly. “I apologize for my ungentlemanly behaviour. It’s just that I felt that you were in danger and I could not contain myself.” He took a step toward her. “Now please, it isn’t safe here with Laval. I will take you home to Claire.”
Briefly, Evelyn turned around and glanced at Laval. He just sat there silently waiting for Evelyn to handle Ascott herself. Right, she thought to herself. I can handle this. “No,” she said to Edward firmly, pleased that her voice sounded so resolute. “It is very kind of you to worry about me, my lord, but let me remind you that you have no right to order me about. You are neither my guardian nor my husband. I wish to stay here and tend to Monsieur Laval and you cannot stop me.”
At her words, Ascott’s spine stiffened dangerously. Disbelief flickered in his eyes. “Come now, my lady, you see how this Frenchman is influencing your behaviour? That was hurtful. I am neither your guardian nor your husband, but I am your friend and I just have your best interest at heart.” He stepped toward her and grabbed her arm in a tight, almost hurtful grip. “I will take you home so you can clear your head.”
Evelyn, for the first time in her life, could see past the polite kindness in Edward Dormer’s eyes and glimpse his potential for violence. All right, maybe that was due to the fact that Ascott’s grip was getting more and more painful and the barely leashed violence in his eyes was making him look quite crazed. No amount of politeness could mask that fact.
“That position of friendship, sir, is in a precarious position at present. You are hurting me quite literally now, my lord.” She glared down at his fingers encircling her upper arm. “Do you believe this sort of violence is in my best interest?”
Ascott jerked his hand away from her. She watched as he seemed to realize he had gone too far with her. “I’m very sorry, Lady Evelyn. Please forgive my cruelty. I would never intentionally hurt you.”
She ignored his apology. “Please leave now, before you make it any worse.”
He hesitated but ended up nodding curtly. “Very well,” he said, bowing. “Good evening.” Anger and frustration flashed again in his eyes before he turned and left.
“Well done, mademoiselle.”
Evelyn turned around to face Laval. He looked at her with a slight smile. Suddenly she was angry. “Why did you not defend yourself when he began charging toward you? I do believe you are quite arrogant, with your insufferable nonchalance while I was fearing for your injury!”
At her unprovoked and sudden outburst, Laval just lifted an eyebrow. “Worked up quite the confidence all of a sudden, have you?”
For a moment, she felt self-conscious and blushed a little. Her confidence from dealing with Ascott was not fading as quickly as one would have guessed however. She lifted her chin and glared down at Laval. This new boldness felt quite powerful to her. “Well one of us had to be bold. Perhaps it wasn’t arrogance, but cowardice.” A little frisson of horror passed through her at her insulting words. She had never been so rude.
The slight, however, didn’t seem to bother the Frenchman in the least. In fact, amusement danced in his eyes. “How you do wound me, mademoiselle. I merely felt that you were quite capable of defending both of us.”
There was no explaining the pleasure that seeped through her at his words. Well, actually, yes there was. No one had ever considered Evelyn Guelph “capable”. Beautiful, biddable, obedient, sweet-natured, virtuous, a paragon of a woman, yes, but never capable. “You…you did?” she whispered.
“Certainly. You performed quite beautifully too.” There was something in his eyes. Evelyn could not figure out what it was but it made her feel heated and a little soft. Her small blush became anything but small. She silently berated herself and cursed her constant penchant for embarrassing flushes of pink to her cheeks.
“Flattery, Monsieur? Do you think to escape my wrath so easily?” Evelyn tried not to smile at her own teasing words. She didn’t quite believe that he felt so much confidence in her but she also didn’t believe that he was being all too serious.
“I never flatter, Evelyn. I speak only truths.”
Evelyn smiled wryly. “Yes, I am certainly well aware of how blunt you can be, Monsieur, but I am not convinced you’re being serious right now.”
Laval reached out and grabbed her hand. “You seemed more trusting a few moments ago, Lady Evelyn. Shall we return to that trust again?” he murmured.
Before she could react, he tugged and she tumbled forward onto the bed. She landed sprawled across his chest and starring up into his amused eyes. “Monsieur Laval!” she breathed. All of the confidence drained away and she was left again with nervous quivering. She had never, never, been this close to a man. He felt warm and solid under her. Inexplicably, she felt her breathing quicken.
He snaked a hand into her hair and tilted her head towards his. “We were in the middle of something before we were rudely interrupted.”