Chapter 15

"Whit"s up wi" ye, Lissie? Dinnae say the dancing plague o" London town has taken ye?"

Annice"s voice rang mischievously from up the stairs, taking off Lissie"s Scottish accent to a tee. Did Annice do it mischievously? That alone should have been enough to make Lissie sit up and take note.

But Lissie was sad. From her cloistered bedchamber, she pulled up her furs and shivered. It was summer—allegedly. And yet, even here in London, it seemed the weather could be as grim and unpredictable as the Highlands.

Today was gray and wet. Snuggling in the velvets, Lissie settled back down into her sheets. She was quite happy to block out the sounds from the house, with them the chambermaids, many of whom had unsuccessfully tried to come into the room and unshutter the light.

She had kept them out. And kept out the light. The only small cracks that infiltrated were cold and gray, piercing the gloom of the room. In the hearth, a small fire was burning, but its heat did not reach her. Wrapping herself in deeper, Lissie lay back in the bed.

He was dancing with Lettie.

After everything he had said about her, too! She could not believe he had spent all night dancing with her. And the little time he did not, he was talking to her friends, Lady Caroline and Alice.

Lissie fumed as she thought back to the night before...or was it a couple of days ago? She had been in this room so long, she was beginning to lose all time.

Outside, Annice rapped hard on the door.

"Lissie. Elisabeth!" she quickly corrected, as if she had only just remembered her position.

In truth, Annice was as Scottish as she was, she just hid it well. To begin with, she had believed she was English, but slowly, the truth had come out. Like her accent, which had increased daily since Lissie arrived.

"What is it, Annice?" asked Lissie bleakly. She could not for the life of her see what the excitement was about. It was just another drab, dreich London day.

"Agnes," reminded Annice, tutting. But even this could not get in the way of her good mood. Finally, she turned toward the door.

"He"s getting wed, your duke, so you best start looking elsewhere for a match."

Getting wed?

Just like that, Will, Duke of Iverst, was married—and not to her! As if that wasn"t bad enough, Annice had the gall to look pleased about it. Lissie, who had momentarily lifted her head up from the pillow, lay back down again.

"Och," she said flatly.

Annice, who had thought that she was offering her a gem, looked crestfallen.

"Och, is that all you have to say? Aren"t you going to ask me whom?"

"I ken whom; that muckle clootie dumpling, Lettie!" Lissie huffed. Beneath the blankets, she could not see the amused look in Annice"s eyes, but she heard it alright in her voice.

"Well, "tis for the best. As I said, Elisabeth, "tis only fitting he chooses a proper English wife."

Now Lissie sat up in rage.

"Proper English! Crivvens—she"s a Lithuanian German French! By those terms, I qualify as Sassenach."

Lissie pouted as she sat up, pulling the bedsheets around her. The reaction she got was not one she liked.

"Well, it is of no importance, Elisabeth. Think instead of the opportunity!"

Annice"s eyes danced, but Lissie struggled to see their meaning.

"Opportunity?" she said, straightening up. She looked Annice straight in the eye. "I see no opportunity here except for humiliation an" pain!"

She looked in despair at her cousin, but she had picked the wrong confidante. Brassy Annice did not care. Scoffing, she bustled over to Lissie and picked at her hair.

"Tut," she muttered, teasing the knots out from Lissie"s thicket. "You need to look your best for the wedding!"

"The wedding?" said Lissie, mouth agape. "Have ye lost yer reason?"

Lissie"s heart started thumping like a drum. Inside, she felt sick. She could not believe Annice was so callous. But Annice just gave her a look of disdain.

"Sweeting," she said, in a tone that did not suggest sweeting at all. "The wedding will be the best thing to happen to London all year. It is a chance for you to shine and find a match. Already, I know a merchant, Carruthers, who is eligible and?—"

"Nay," said Lissie flatly. She looked point-blank at Annice. "I will nae do it. And I am nae marrying any tinker, tailor, or fisherman either!"

Inside, a heat surged in Lissie. Marry a merchant? She might as well move home and marry the buckle-toothed Donald. At least he was the son of a laird.

Annice fixed her dark eyes on Lissie. "Talbot is a fishmonger, and a master fishmonger at that!"

"Och, who cares!" Lissie just rolled her eyes. "All ye need to ken is that I am nae going to any wedding, nae making a match wi" any merchant."

Lissie set her lips petulantly in a frown, but her peevishness belied the blackness she was feeling. It was all around, as if night had entered the room.

It was bad enough that Will had been dancing with Lettie. But now marriage?

Lissie"s heart truly was at rock bottom. The last thing she felt like doing was attending his wedding.

Scowling deeply at Annice, Lissie yawned. "Well, if this is all ye have come to say, Cousin," she said sharply.

Annice"s brows nearly blew off her head.

So she is shocked, thought Lissie. Good. She had had more than enough and was done with pretending.

"Very well," said Annice through pursed lips. "I just came to tell you—oh, and to give you this."

As an afterthought, Annice produced a sealed parchment. Through the gloom of the bedchamber, Lissie"s sharp eyes immediately spotted its logo. It was from the Duncan clan.

"Thank ye," said Lissie, almost ripping it from Annice. She was about to unfurl it when she stopped. The watchful eye of Annice was upon her.

Not wanting to share her business, Lissie folded the parchment back into its seal. She smiled at Annice.

"I take it you will not be receiving guests this morning, Elisabeth?" asked Annice imperiously.

Lissie just nodded. She had run out of steam for arguing with Annice. Even compared to Fiona, she had a capacity for bickering that knew no bounds. To Lissie"s surprise, Annice did not tut but simply gathered her skirts behind her—a large and expensive houppelande from Paris—and gracefully rustled off. Just before she reached the door, she turned. A servant had appeared, who whispered some news to her. Annice"s face changed. Now she looked amused.

"Well, that"s a shame. Should I tell the duke of Iverst? He has just appeared outside the door!"

Lissie flinched. All of her wanted to run the length of the bedchamber and fling herself down to the entrance hall to greet him. But inside, battle raged. From the edge of the bed, she caught Will haughtily arriving at the gate. There, she watched him dismount and come to the door. Inside, something twisted; a shard of pain.

"Well, there he is," said Annice smugly. "There"s your chance to tell him what you think of his betrothed."

Annice"s eyes flared pointedly. Of course, she knew Lissie would do no such thing. All the same, she was watching, playing with Lissie like a kitten with a string.

Why is she doing this?snarled Lissie to herself. It was true; Annice seemed to be especially enjoying herself this morning. It was as if she were determined to bring her down.

More to the point, Lissie looked at Will. And what is he doing here? Come to rub it in?

Fastening her robe, Lissie went to the window. There, she sat, unobserved, as Will inquired at the door. From the window, she hissed to the servants, "Send him away," as she stared down at Will. Really, she wanted to add an" leave me alone, but it wasn"t necessary.

At long, long last, Lissie got her wish, and both Annice and the servants left forthwith.

Finally, she was alone.

Alonewas not something Lissie had been used to in London. Reluctantly, she gazed out at Will. Even in the dull light, he stood out, his dark clothes cutting sharply with his short houppelande and fashionable poulaines.

Lissie had to admit he looked fine as he leaned to mount his horse. But her hot desire was tempered by her burning heart. Will had broken her. That was all there was to say.

Curling back into the bed, Lissie picked up the letter and idly unfurled it. Without very much interest, she began reading.

Then, her eyes opened.

This changed everything.

* * *

"The answer"s nay.I will not pay your gambling debts, Trenton!"

It was a fiercely cold summer"s day later that week across London Town. Despite the time of year, it remained unseasonably cold. Right then, it was hailing, something Will couldn"t help feel was a judgment against him.

Ever since this miserable engagement, the weather had been in an uproar. It was June, but in the last three days, London had experienced hail, sleet, and snow. On the announcement of their engagement, a surfeit of frogs had appeared from nowhere, colonizing the London streets.

Omens did not come any clearer than that. And now, there was Trenton, merrily exhorting him to penury.

Well, no more!

Will stood up. He was in the solar, desperately trying to count the expenditure of the house. Bills, taxes, monies for armies—not to mention the tiny matter of a wedding!

His betrothed had a penchant for furs, rubies, and exotic horses. It added up. So did supporting a beleaguered king.

Deep in thought, Will pressed on, receipts stacked to the side of him. Abruptly, Trenton pushed them out of the way and sat down.

"Trenton!" Will snapped as half of the billets fell on the floor. But Trenton, pallid in the early morning light, just huffed.

"Gadzooks, Will, aren"t there servants for that sort of thing? Where"s Bowden when you need him? He"s the steward," Trenton said, swiping lazily at the receipts and screwing them in his hand.

"Trenton," said Will, scandalized. His face was such a picture that Trenton could not resist a laugh.

This maddened Will all the more, who cast down his quill like a spear.

Abandoning all hopes of continuing, he turned to Trenton.

"Trenton. If you want me to bail you out, I need the means to pay with."

Will glared pointedly. "But I have bigger problems. Namely, paying for a wedding."

Will"s heart sunk as low as his boots at the word wedding. Trenton did not know how much he would rather pay for a dice game gone wrong than a wedding.

But to his surprise, Trenton fixed him with a superior look.

"Who said anything about debts? You just assumed I wanted money."

Trenton looked at him sharply. Will was confused.

"Well, what do you want?" he asked a little impatiently. Back on the table, papers blew around, a crack in the window letting in a swift and icy draft.

Looking into the street beyond, Will gazed in disbelief. Now it was sleeting, thick gusts of ice blowing in from the skies. Despondent, Will brought his eyes to Trenton"s.

"It"s about what you want, dear brother," he said, his pale green eyes twinkling. This provoked more confusion in Will. His face must have said it all because Trenton laughed a little mirthlessly.

"You know, it is not just you who suffers in not knowing what you want," his brother said accusingly. Then, after sitting in the middle of the pile of papers, Trenton stood abruptly and glared down at Will.

"You talk in riddles, Trenton. Are you in your cups already?"

Trenton shook his head.

"So typical, Will. So pompous, yet you can"t see the harm you are doing to those around you,"

Trenton marched around the solar, poking at the bureau and mindlessly dropping papers about. Will felt his patience ebbing.

"Me? Egad! That is rich coming from you." Irritation gave way to total disbelief. Will pushed back his chair and glared at Trenton. "What on Earth are you chuntering about?"

Now it was Trenton"s turn to look aggrieved. "Lissie!" he spat, his pale green eyes fixed on Will. "What have you done to her? Have you even seen her recently? She is talking about leaving town."

Will stopped. He looked unsurely at Trenton.

"Leaving?"

The rain drummed on against the shutters, periodically sending stray drops inside the room. Will did not look up, even when the wind blew all his papers down. Darkness had crept into the solar, with the pair of them face-to-face.

"Aye, leaving," said Trenton, looking almost satisfied. Will instantly fell into a rage. He did not know how Trenton could goad him so. "As in, going away, back up to Scotland. For good!"

Will"s heart flashed in pain. But quickly, he covered it up. Coughing, he stood up.

"But?"

Will was wretched. Inside, it burned. He needed to claw this back inside of him. A bit more, and he risked showing his true feelings to all. But Trenton was not budging.

"But nothing, Will. You swatted her away like a fly. You know how she feels, and you just dropped her without a word. And I am the bad one!"

Trenton"s voice rose volubly, sending Will into defensive mode.

"I don"t know what you"re talking about, Trenton."

Trenton shot Will a look of pure poison.

"I mean, dear brother, that the poor girl is broken—and it is all your fault!"

Trenton"s eyes flashed angrily, and Will felt as if he had been punched.

"What cow-slaver are you talking about, now?" Will asked, but even as he said it, his conscience hurt.

"I mean, Lissie is beside herself," said Trenton, getting in his face.

Will"s irritation increased. He wanted to scream and bray him. But the worst thing was knowing Trenton was right.

"What do you care?" asked Will in a snarl.

It was strange. It was almost as if he could see himself from above snarking, baiting, spitting. All the things he wanted to do to Trenton were things he wanted to do to himself. And yet, he couldn"t stop them from happening. Will was literally shaking with anger as Trenton faced up to him.

"I care about Lissie," said Trenton, his eyes implacably strange.

Will felt himself heat up.

It was not true. It could not be true.

"You mock me," said Will tersely, backing away from Trenton. One more push, one more shove, and he would go for him.

Irritably, Will pushed away, but anger got the best of him. So when Trenton came forward again, smugness wrapped all around his silly face, Will could not stop himself.

"I do not, Brother," said Trenton maddeningly.

Will pushed him away. That was when it started. Trenton swung at Will and missed. As quick as a flash, Will had punched him, sending him skedaddled on the floor. It did not take Trenton long to nurse his wounds and get up from the ground.

"It may be news to you, Will, but I happen to care about Lissie. And I care not for the way you treated her. You know, I only came to you today to persuade you to do the right thing."

Trenton"s eyes glared, laying bare their disdain. Will shuffled uncomfortably. Despite his easy put-down of Trenton, he had him on the backfoot.

"Right thing?" snapped Will. Cold fury welled up in his veins.

Yes, he was wrong, and he knew it. But a lecture from Trenton was more than he could take.

"You wouldn"t know the right thing if it bit you on the codpiece," he hissed.

Trenton did not react. Instead, he stared straight ahead at Will.

Then, he added. "And anyway, it is too late. I am betrothed to Lettie. There is nothing I can do."

But even as he said it, Will felt a tug in his heart.

Maybe...

Trenton faced him coldly.

"Very well. I have told you. But Brother, be warned. If you do not act, then I will!"

Trenton"s face did not move, and he held Will very closely in his sights. Will had never seen his brother like this before and was unnerved. However, he did not show it.

"Act? What do you mean? Trenton?"

Will was out of patience. He paced cagily about the wooden flooring.

"Here you are, pretending to care. But we both know you have never cared for anybody but yourself. Am I to believe that you suddenly developed feelings? Or a conscience?"

The thought of Trenton and Lissie burned deep. It could not be true. He was only doing this to spite him.

Trenton fixed him with a tight look. "I mean, you are a coward, Will. But if you do not stop Lissie from leaving, then I will."

Will stopped dead. He could not believe what he was hearing. However, Trenton was not finished. Halfway out of the room, he turned to Will before leaving.

"If you don"t act, then I will ask her to stay, and marry me!"