Chapter Sixteen

Bollinger House

Portman Square

London, England

Why am I so nervous?

Vivian smoothed her gloved hands down the front of her gown of sky-blue satin. Tiny seed pearls and clear glass beads lined the low neckline as well as the waist and the skirt's hem. Under the candles in the glittering chandelier, the gown glimmered with each step she took. A delicate necklace made of square-cut aquamarines set in silver filagree rested around her neck, the coolness of the stones brought about a modicum of calm.

A poor replacement to the stolen Marie Antionette piece, but it would have to do. Should she have told Evan of her fears? Of course, but the days had been so muddled and filled with emotional conversations as well as everything else, she hadn't the chance.

Still, worry churned in the pit of her stomach, for what, she couldn't really say. The afternoon spent with her husband had been beyond her wildest expectations. At some point during the intense coupling, she'd fallen deeper in love with him, for the man who'd bedded her after they'd talked candidly had been a heady mix of both the earl she'd known before and the man he was now.

Yet he'd been distracted by something that he hadn't shared with her. Beyond that, there had been a deep sadness in his eyes she didn't understand.

"Stop fidgeting, Vivy. You are already gorgeous."

The sound of Evan's voice from beside her both soothed and excited her. "Thank you for that. Perhaps I'm nervous because I've not met many of your friends from the club." Though they'd come to the ball together in the same carriage, she hadn't fully seen him in evening dress because his greatcoat had hidden most of it, but now that she had the opportunity to drink her fill of him, she couldn't help but sigh with appreciation.

How fortunate am I to be with him?

He took her gloved hand and pulled it through the crook of his elbow. "They are all upstanding members of society, and they would do anything for each other, as evidenced as what they did for me." When he grinned, the gesture didn't meet his eyes. "St. Vincent and his wife just entered the ballroom. Let me introduce you to them beyond what you already had at the reception line."

"Were you serious earlier when you said you would share a waltz with me?"

"I was." This time, when he peered into her upturned face, the smile was more genuine, but that melancholy still lingered in his hazel eyes. "I want you to have that memory."

What an odd way to phrase that. She frowned as she let him lead her over to the top of the room where the earl and his countess held court near the opened double doors. What was going on in his brain? Why wouldn't he tell her what he struggled with, if anything? Then they reached the host and hostess of the event, and there was no more time to ponder.

"Good evening, St. Vincent." Evan held out a hand and the two men shook. "Vivian, this is the Countess of St. Vincent."

Vivian smiled at the other woman, who looked to be nearer to her husband's age than her own. "Thank you for inviting us. Your home is gorgeous, and you look stunning for just being delivered of a baby." The vivid raspberry gown accentuated her maternal figure. According to the gossip, it had only been two weeks since the infant had been born. It was astounding the woman had the wherewithal to host a ball.

"You are sweet to say so." Her brown-blonde upswept hair sparkled beneath the candle lights. "I am beyond exhausted but incredibly grateful and happy." The countess leaned closer to her. "Truth be told, I probably won't last the bulk of the night, but I wanted to be sure to meet Leo's friends and to at least get in two dances."

"I can understand that." Then she transferred her attention to the earl. "Thank you for everything you and the others have done for my husband." Unshed tears gathered in her throat, but she ignored them. "You have no idea how much I am in debt to the Rogue's Arcade members for essentially saving him."

From beside her, Evan murmured something she couldn't clearly hear.

"You are quite welcome." Compassion reflected in St. Vincent's eyes. "We are not in the habit of leaving a man behind, and this ball was largely thrown together in conjunction with other rogues as an effort to draw out this damned criminal element who wishes to see us all dead." A hard note had entered his voice. "We will put down the threat. You have my word, Lady Baselton."

"I appreciate that." When the earl lifted her hand to his lips, she smiled. "Well, we should let you attend to your guests." She glanced at the countess. "And to dance."

"Enjoy the evening," Lady St. Vincent said with a grin of her own. "And make certain your man takes you out onto the dance floor as well."

"I will." Gently, she tugged on Evan's arm. "Do you wish to socialize a bit?"

"I do not." As he glanced about the room, his face paled, and he cursed under his breath. "He couldn't manage to give me a couple more hours?"

"What are you talking about?" When she followed his gaze, she gasped. "I cannot imagine St. Vincent would have invited Lord Starkington." As her eyes locked with Edward's, he gave her a slight grin and had the audacity to wink at her.

"I'm sure he did not, but men like Starkington don't care about things like that."

Before the subject could proceed, the five-piece string orchestra struck a few notes, indicating the next set would be a Viennese waltz. Couples began to find open spaces on the parquet dance floor.

"Come, Baselton. Let us forget about him. We have a waltz to indulge in." When she pulled him in the direction of an open space, the muscles of his arm went taut. "You promised, and perhaps it won't be as bad as you think."

He snorted. "That hurried lesson you gave me before we headed out tonight wasn't enough to have me master the steps."

"Shh." At an open spot, she took his hand while raising an eyebrow until he assumed the proper position and put a hand at her waist. "I will be here for you every step of the way. I won't let you fall even if you stumble."

"Quite the metaphor for life, hmm?" He held her gaze, and there was so much yearning and sadness warring for dominance in those brown depths, cold unease twisted down her spine. "I never meant for my return to cause you pain or confusion."

"It was to be expected, at least in the beginning, but all is well now." With a nod of encouragement, she smiled. "Don't you think?"

He didn't answer, and the confliction in his eyes remained as he led her in the first steps of the waltz.

After a few moments of hesitation and indecision, Vivian grinned, for her husband was marginally familiar enough with the movements of the waltz that they fell into a pattern. Hands met and slid against each other. When she circled him, their eyes met and held. Each time they separated as the dance demanded, she sought him out, watched him until they were back together. The moment her fingers were back within his palm, everything was right in the world, and when they parted again, she couldn't wait until he came close again.

The whole thing was beyond magical, and she tumbled tip over tail, more rapidly than before. She wanted nothing more than to dive into the dark pools of his eyes, burrow against his strong, hard body and revel in his arms around her until the world was forgotten and he realized they were meant to be together all over again. Everything else fell away, for she was with her husband, the man she loved, and nothing mattered except what they would do together.

By the time the last notes faded in the air and the couples on the floor halted their movements, Vivian wanted nothing more than to drag her husband out of the ballroom and into the nearest broom closet or empty servant passageway and kiss him until he smiled at her with the gesture twinkling in his eyes.

"That was truly one of the loveliest things I have ever experienced in recent years." Letting her hand linger on his a few seconds longer than necessary, she then said, "Thank you for sharing it with me."

"It was my pleasure." When he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back, his Adam's apple bobbed with a hard swallow. "This is the last time you will need to be stuck with me, for I am going to ensure your original choice remains your only one."

Vivian frowned. "What does that mean?" Icy fingers of fear played her spine. "What are you planning, Evan? Please don't do anything rash."

"Never rash, my dear. Plenty of thought behind it, unfortunately." As he released her hand, he stared at her as if he wanted to say something profound but then thought the better of it. "If you will excuse me? I would like to visit with some of the rogues in attendance, discover if they have found any clues as to the identity of the criminal threatening us."

"Evan?" Almost desperate with unfounded fear, she laid a staying hand on his arm. "I cannot prove it, but I believe Edward stole the Marie Antionette necklace from me the night of the rout."

"I don't doubt it because he has done some questionable things of late." He cleared his throat and gently removed her hand from his arm. "However, I think you will be able to reclaim the necklace soon… unless he's already sold it."

"Meaning?" Confusion filled her chest, for this had all the hallmarks of a goodbye.

"It is nothing. Perhaps it will make sense later." Then with suspiciously bright eyes, he left her side and made his way around the perimeter of the room until he left it altogether.

As a country reel began to form, Vivian had every intention of spending the remainder of the evening talking with friends or hiding in the ladies retiring room, but those plans flew out of her head when Edward approached her. The last thing she wanted was to be in his company tonight, but she also didn't wish to make a scene so shortly after the disaster of the rout.

"What do you want, Edward?"

"A little more cheer in your greeting would go a long way, don't you think?" Of course he was devastatingly handsome in his evening wear, and the dark clothing enhanced his frame. Yes, he was several years younger than Evan, and perhaps more virile, but there was something about her husband that called to her, drove her to the edge of insanity with how he pleasured her and cared for her. When she didn't answer, he huffed. "Come share this set with me."

"I would rather not…"

"And I really think you should." Taking her hand, he tugged her into an empty spot on the floor. "The more we can present a united front as a couple, the better off we'll be accepted as such."

"But we are not a couple. I am married to Evan." As her intuition flared, she tried to withdraw her hand from his, but he held on all the tighter. To attempt to free it would beg more attention than she wished for at the moment.

"For now." His smile was wide, and she didn't quite trust it.

"Why do you seem so happy tonight?" There wasn't an opportunity for further questioning, for the set began, and she was obliged to follow the steps of the dance.

When they came back together, Edward's grin was decidedly victorious. "I feel things will go back to where they were before your husband returned. You and I can resume our relationship, and before we know it, the interruption will be forgotten."

What was he on about? "How?" Then the steps pulled her out of his company, and she stewed behind a pasted smile until they were matched once more.

"Perhaps it is a hunch I have, a feeling." The man was positively giddy, but there was something about his grin she didn't quite trust. "I am poised to ask for your hand, Vivian, and I hope you'll accept. Our future is bright. We can proceed with our plans while enjoying a leisurely honeymoon to the Continent. You have always wished to travel."

Knots of worry pulled in her belly. Yes, she wanted to travel, but not with him. "What if I don't want that future any longer? What if I've fallen in love again with my husband?"

"Don't prove so pathetic. He is beneath you." The steps of the dance once more took her away from him, but he watched her the whole time, and instead of it being thrilling, she couldn't help but think it disturbing. When he rejoined her, he continued as if they hadn't been parted. This time his grin held a hard edge. "And since he has become a distraction, I have found a way to remove that for you." His shrug caused his tailcoat to pull tight across his broad chest. "Since you refuse to make the correct choice, I have done it for you. Everything I have done is for us. Remember that afterward."

"After what?" The notes of the song faded and the dance wound to a stop. Vivian stood staring at him in stunned silence. "What have you done, Edward?"

"Nothing that any other man wouldn't have when some nodcock wished to take his woman." When he took her hand, his grip was quite hard. "Come away with me so I can kiss you. It has been far too long."

There had been a time when she would have never hesitated to run off with him merely for the sake of kissing. Now, she frowned. "I have told you out of hand that I'm married, and I have also told you just this night that I am in love again with Evan." It was true. There was no sense in denying it any longer. "With that being said, what you and I shared is over."

"I refuse to accept that. These past two weeks have been an aberration only, and I've allowed it to make certain you had him out of your system before we resumed our life together." Annoyance flashed in his green eyes, but the expression that went over his face was clearly an ugly shift from what he usually showed the world. "Baselton is nothing, Vivian. Nothing!" He transferred his grip to her wrist, and his fingers were like an iron shackle. "Between us, I am clearly the better choice. Once we're married and those properties he's leaving you come under my control, they will finally make the coin that they should have from the beginning." A sneer curled his upper lip. "Even you can't deny your husband was a negligent lord."

"He was away at war, and then he suffered an accident that stole his memory!" As he led her around the perimeter of the ballroom, she tried to free herself from his hold without attracting too much attention, but he was far too strong.

"Then Baselton should have had a better estate manager." Blame reflected in his eyes. "Or you should have hired someone better."

"I was grieving him. Everything was difficult." In shock, Vivian shook her head. "Don't think to blame me, Edward. I did the best I could with what I had." Why did he care about properties that didn't belong to him anyway? "Since Evan has returned, he's guided the man-of-affairs into other avenues. The estate foreman for one of the properties has been replaced." None of this was Edward's business. "Besides, from what I've understood from my husband, if Evan dies, the unentailed property will go to me and only me. No one else can touch them unless I bequeath them to an heir or someone else." Then she gasped.

Oh, dear God.

Then she knew what her husband had meant and why he was acting so odd earlier in the afternoon as well as during their waltz. He was going to kill himself.

"I need to find Evan." At the ballroom door, she tried again to rid herself of Edward's hold. "It's quite urgent." The dear, confused man's thoughts were jumbled and somehow, he had his logic twisted. Had he been somehow manipulated into this pass? Now everything made sense. Don't you dare leave me!

"Come with me." There was a maniacal light in Edward's eyes. "Oh, you are correct that his situation is urgent, but he knows what he needs to do."

Dear heavens. Her mouth went dry. "You did this to him." But how? In vain, she attempted to pry his fingers from her wrist. "I don't want to go with you. I need to find Evan."

"Oh, you will, because I intend to show you how weak your husband truly is and how broken. In seeing this, you will finally understand that I am by far the better choice."