Seduction (47 page)

his eyes adjust to the darkness. And then he spotted Waycott's sprawled body

near the wall by the hearth.

Sophy was right. Things would be a great deal simpler if someone put a pistol to

the Viscount's head and pulled the trigger. But there were some things a

gentleman did not do. Julian shook his head in resignation and went over to the

hearth to stoke up the fire.

When he was finished, he pulled up the stool and sat down. Idly he glanced into

the basket and saw the emeralds pooled at the bottom beneath the pocket pistol.

With a sense of satisfaction, he picked up the necklace and watched the stones

glitter in the firelight. The Ravenwood emeralds were going to look very good on

the new Countess of Ravenwood.

Twenty minutes later the Viscount stirred and groaned. Julian watched, unmoving,

as Waycott slowly recovered his senses. He continued to wait while Waycott

blinked and then frowned at the fire, waited as the man sat up and put a hand to

his temple, waited until the Viscount finally began to realize there was someone

else in the room.

"That's right, Waycott, Sophy is safe and now you must deal with me." Julian

casually let the emeralds cascade from one palm to the other and back again. "I

suppose it was inevitable that at some point you would finally go too far. You

are a man obsessed, are you not?"

Waycott inched backward until he was sitting propped against the wall. He leaned

his fair head against the damp stones and stared at Julian through lids narrowed

with hatred. "So dear little Sophy ran straight to you, did she? And you

believed every word she said, I suppose. I may be obsessed, Ravenwood, but you

are a fool."

Julian glanced down at the glittering emeralds. "You are partially correct,

Waycott. I was a fool once, a long time ago. I did not recognize a witch in a

silk ball gown. But those days are over. In some ways, I almost pity you. The

rest of us managed to extricate ourselves from Elizabeth's spell years ago. You

alone remained ensnared."

"Because I alone loved her. The rest of you only wanted to use her. You wanted

to steal her innocence and beauty and thereby tarnish it forever. I wanted to

protect her."

"As I said, you are as obsessed as you ever were. If you had been content to

suffer alone, I would have continued to ignore you. Unfortunately, you chose to

try to use Sophy as a means of avenging yourself against me. That I cannot

overlook or ignore. I warned you, Waycott. Now you will pay for involving Sophy

and we will put an end to this whole business."

Waycott laughed crudely. "What did your sweet little Sophy tell you about what

happened here today? Did she tell you I found her on the path by the pond? Did

she tell you that she was on her way back from the same abortionist Elizabeth

had consulted? Your dear, sweet, innocent Sophy is already scheming to rid

herself of your heir, Ravenwood. She doesn't want to bear your brat any more

than Elizabeth did."

For an instant, Sophy's words flashed in Julian's head and a lingering sense of

guilt shot through him. I do not wish to be rushed into childbed.

Julian shook his head and smiled grimly at Waycott. "You are as clever as any

footpad when it comes to sinking a knife into a man's back but in this case your

aim is off. You see, Waycott, Sophy and I have gotten to know each other very

well. She is an honorable woman. We have made a bargain, she and I, and while I

regret to say I have not always upheld my end of the arrangement, she has always

been true to her side. I know she went to see Old Bess for a fresh supply of

herbs, not to seek an abortion."

"You are indeed a fool, Ravenwood, if you believe that. Did Sophy also lie to

you about what happened over there on that pallet? Did she tell you how easily

she pulled up her skirts and spread her thighs for me? She's not particularly

skilled yet, but I expect she'll improve with practice."

Julian's fury momentarily slipped its leash. He dropped the emeralds to the

floor and came up off the stool in one smooth, swift movement. He took two

strides across the chamber and caught Waycott by the front of the shirt. Then he

hauled the Viscount to his feet and slammed a fist into the handsome face.

Something broke in the region of Waycott's nose and blood spurted. Julian hit

him again.

"You son of a bitch, you don't want to admit you married a whore, do you?"

Waycott slid sideways out of reach along the wall and wiped the back of his hand

against his bleeding nose. "But you did, you rotten bastard. I wonder how long

it will be until you realize it."

"Sophy would never dishonor herself or me. I know she did not allow you to touch

her."

"Is that why you reacted so quickly when I told you what happened between Sophy

and me?" Waycott taunted.

Julian damped down his rage. "It is useless trying to talk to you, Waycott. When

it comes to this, you are truly beyond reason. I suppose I should pity you, but

I fear I cannot allow even a madman to insult my wife."

Waycott eyed him uneasily. "You will never call me out. We both know that."

"Unfortunately, you are right," Julian agreed, thinking of the vow he had made

to Sophy. He had broken, or at least bent, far too many promises to her already.

He would not break another even though he longed for nothing more than to be

free to put a bullet into Waycott. He walked over to the hearth and stood

staring down into the flames.

"I knew it," Waycott gloated. "I told her you would never again risk your neck

over a woman. You have lost your taste for vengeance. You will not challenge

me."

"No, Waycott, I will not call you out." Julian clasped his hands behind his back

and turned his head to smile at the other man with cool anticipation. "Not for

the reasons you assume but for other, private reasons. Rest assured, however,

that decision will not prevent me from accepting a challenge from you."

Waycott looked baffled. "What the devil are you talking about?"

"I will not call you out, Waycott. I am bound by a certain vow in that regard.

But I think we can arrange matters so that you will finally feel obliged to call

me out. And when you do, I can promise you, I will be most eager to meet you. I

have already chosen my seconds. You remember Daregate, don't you? And Thurgood?

They will be only too happy to assist me and to ensure that matters are

conducted with utmost fairness. Daregate, you know, is very good at spotting a

cheat. I can even supply the pistols. I await your earliest convenience."

Waycott's mouth fell open. Then the expression of shock was replaced with a

sneer. "Why should I call you out? It is not my wife who has betrayed me."

"This is not a matter of a wife's betrayal. There has been no betrayal. Do not

waste any more breath trying to convince me that I have been cuckolded, because

I know the truth. The sleeping potion in your tea and that rope on the floor

that you used to tether Sophy are evidence enough. But as it happens I believed

her before I saw the evidence. I already know my wife to be a woman of honor."

"A woman of honor? Honor is a meaningless term to a female."

"To a woman such as Elizabeth, yes. But not to a woman like Sophy. We will not

discuss the subject of honor again, however. There is no point because you,

yourself, do not have any comprehension of the matter. Now, back to the issue at

hand."

"Are you calling my honor into question?" Waycott snarled.

"Certainly. And what is more, I will continue to call your so-called honor into

question in the most public sort of way until you finally issue a challenge or

emigrate to America. Those are the two choices you face, Waycott."

"You cannot force me to do either."

"If you think not, you have a surprise in store. I will, indeed, force you to

make your choice. I will hound you until you do so. You see, I intend to make

life intolerable for you here in England, Waycott. I will be like a wolf nipping

at your heels until I draw blood."

Waycott was very pale in the firelight. "You are bluffing."

"Shall I tell you how it will be? Listen well, Waycott and hear your fate. No

matter what you do or where you go in England, I or an agent of mine will be

behind you. If you see a horse at Tattersall's you wish to purchase, I will

outbid you and see that the animal goes to another. If you try to buy a new pair

of boots at Hoby's, or order a coat from Weston's, I will inform the proprietors

that they, will not have any future business from me if they continue to serve

you."

"You cannot do that," Waycott hissed.

"And that is only the beginning," Julian continued relentlessly. "I shall let

all the owners of the various parcels of land that surround your estate in

Suffolk know that I am willing to buy them out. In time, Waycott, your lands

will be surrounded by properties owned by me. Furthermore, I shall make certain

that your reputation suffers so that no reputable club will have you and no

respectable hostess will want you under her roof."

"It will never work."

"Yes it will, Waycott. I have the money, land, and a sufficiently powerful title

to ensure that my plan will work. What's more, I will have Sophy on my side. Her

name is golden in London these days, Waycott. When she turns against you, the

entire social world will turn against you."

"No." Waycott shook his head furiously, his eyes wild. "She will never do so. I

did not hurt her. She will understand why I did what I did. She is sympathetic

to me."

"Not any longer."

"Because I brought her here? But I can explain that to her."

"You will never have the chance. Even if I allowed you to get close enough to

plead with her, which I have no intention of doing, you would find no sympathy

or leniency from that quarter. You see, Waycott, you sealed your own doom before

you even met Sophy."

"What in God's name are you talking about now?"

"Remember that young woman whom you seduced here three years ago and whom you

later abandoned when she got pregnant? The one who took your devilish ring? The

one you told Sophy was unimportant? The one you called the village whore?"

"What about her?" Waycott screamed. "She was Sophy's sister."

Waycott's expression went blank with shock. "Oh, my God."

"Exactly," Julian said quietly. "You begin to perceive the depths of your

problem. I see no point in my staying here any longer. Consider your two choices

carefully, Waycott.

If I were you, I'd choose America. I've heard from those who patronize Manton

that you are not a good marksman."

Julian turned his back on Waycott, picked up the emeralds and walked out the

door. He had untied the black's reins before he heard the muffled shot from

within the old castle.

He had been wrong. Waycott had had three choices, not two. It was obvious the

Viscount had found the pocket pistol in the basket and taken the third way out.

Julian put one foot in the stirrup and then reluctantly decided to go back into

the ominously silent ruin. The scene that awaited him would be unpleasant, to

say the least, but given Waycott's general ineptitude it would be best to make

certain the Viscount had not made a muddle of the whole thing.

TWENTY

It seemed to Sophy that she had been sitting huddled in a chair for hours before

she finally heard Julian's booted footsteps in the hall. With a soft cry of

relief, she leaped to her feet and flew to the door.

One anxious glance at her husband's harsh, weary face told her that something

very grim had occurred. The half-empty bottle of claret and the glass that he

had obviously stopped to pick up in the library confirmed the impression.

"Are you all right, Julian?"

"Yes."

He walked into the room, closed the door behind him and set the claret on the

dressing table. Without another word he reached out to pull Sophy into his arms.

They stood together in silence for a long while before either spoke.

"What happened?" Sophy finally asked.

"Waycott is dead."

She could not deny the sense of relief that went through her at that news. She

tilted her head back to meet his eyes. "You killed him?"

"A matter of opinion, I imagine. Some would certainly say I was responsible.

However, I did not actually pull the trigger. He performed that task himself."

Sophy closed her eyes. "He took his own life. Just as Amelia did."

"Perhaps there is some justice in the ending."

"Sit down, Julian. I will pour you some claret."

He did not argue. Sprawling in a chair near the window he watched with brooding

eyes as Sophy poured the wine and carried it over to him.

"Thank you," he said as he took the glass from her. His eyes met hers. "You have

a way of giving me what I want when I need it." He took a large mouthful of wine

and swallowed it. "Are you all right? Has the news about Waycott unsettled you?"

"No." Sophy shook her head and sat down near Julian. "God forgive me, but I am

glad it is over, even if it means another death. He would not go to America?"

"I do not believe he was rational enough to think clearly on the subject. I told