Prince Charming

  Her husband didn’t say a word. His full attention was focused on Taylor.

  “Lady Taylor isn’t mad or crazed, but you are if you believe she’s done anything wrong. You’re despicable, Jane. Oh, yes,” Morris sputtered with indignation. “You and William deserve each other. I pray the two of you will get exactly what you deserve.”

  The war with words soon jumped to shouts, then shoves. Taylor found it impossible to keep up with who was giving what insults. Alison started pulling on her arm again, demanding her attention, and Constance was diligently poking her in the shoulder from behind with the plea that she please turn around and explain what was going on. Jennifer, the peacemaker in the crowd, was trying to get all of them to lower their voices.

  Taylor became quite frazzled in no time at all. She turned to her left to tell William she had no intention of going anywhere with him but before she could get the words out of her mouth, Alison pulled on her arm again to gain her attention, and Taylor turned back to her. Constance wasn’t about to be ignored, however, and once again prodded her from behind.

  Taylor’s head felt as though it were spinning. She glanced up at her escort to see how he was reacting to the fiasco and was quite astonished by the expression on his face.

  The man looked bored. She wondered how he could remain so unaffected by the slander William was spewing about him. William was going on and on about his black character when Lucas reached into his pocket, pulled out his timepiece, and flipped open the latch to check the time.

  Then William called Lucas a bastard. Alison, Jennifer, and Constance let out loud gasps, almost in perfect unison. Taylor waited for her escort to defend himself. A good fifteen seconds passed before she realized he wasn’t going to do or say anything.

  She suddenly became his champion. William repeated the blasphemous charge again. Taylor was outraged. She turned to Alison, snatched her fan out of her hand, then turned back to William. Before he had a glimmer of her intent, she smacked him across his face with the fan, then turned back to Alison.

  “Thank you,” she said as she handed the fan back to her friend.

  Alison’s mouth was gaping open. Taylor’s shoulders slumped. She detested making a scene, for it really wasn’t ladylike, but there came a time when proper behavior had to be set aside.

  William was slow to understand that Taylor had reached her limit. “If you’ll only listen to me,” he demanded. “You’ll realize I speak the truth. He’s nothing but a . . .”

  Taylor grabbed Alison’s fan again. She turned to confront William once again.

  “If you say one more slanderous word, I swear I’ll poke your eye out.”

  “Taylor, whatever has come over you?” Alison whispered.

  Taylor tossed the fan in her friend’s direction. She turned her gaze to her escort.

  “May we please leave, sir?”

  She sounded desperate. She didn’t care. Lucas smiled in reaction. “Yes,” he answered. “It’s past midnight.”

  She let out a long sigh. Lucas nodded to Morris and Hampton, then started for the entrance. He passed Taylor, didn’t pause, but clasped hold of her hand and continued right along. His stride was long, purposeful. She didn’t resist. She turned around and let herself be pulled along, and Lord, she was actually smiling now.

  Hampton’s shout made Lucas stop on the top step. “Will she be safe with you?”

  He should have been insulted by the question. Yet the concern he heard in Hampton’s voice overrode his initial irritation. It was a logical question, he decided, given the fact that the Englishman didn’t know him well at all.

  He turned around to give his answer. “Yes, she’ll be safe.”

  Alison ran forward to shout her plea next. “Taylor, before you leave, won’t you please introduce me to the gentleman?”

  “Yes, of course I’ll introduce you,” Taylor agreed. “He’s . . .”

  Her mind went blank. Dear God, she couldn’t remember his name. Panic grabbed hold. Taylor didn’t know if she were going to burst into laughter or dissolve into tears. Maybe Jane was right after all. Maybe she was crazed and in need of a keeper.

  She opened her mouth to answer. No words came out.

  “Well?” Alison demanded. She put her hands on her hips and frowned with impatience. “Who is he?”

  “Yes,” Constance blurted out. “Who is he?”

  Taylor looked up at her escort, hoping he might come to her rescue. He didn’t say a word, however. He simply stared down at her and waited to see what she would do.

  Taylor was mortified. Why couldn’t she remember his name? She took a deep breath, shook her head over her own sorry behavior, and then turned back to her audience.

  She couldn’t remember who he was, but she at least remembered what he was.

  “He’s my husband.”

  2

  Truth is truth to the end of reckoning.

  —William Shakespeare. Measure for Measure

  They didn’t take the news at all well. Alison, Jennifer, and Constance were too astonished to say a word, so they took turns screaming instead. Hampton and Morris were both obviously thrilled with the announcement. They cheered in unison. Jane bellowed a foul, unrepeatable blasphemy, which was only partially drowned out by William’s immediate roar of denial.

  Lucas ignored the chaos. He accepted Taylor’s cloak from the butler, casually draped it around her shoulders, then caught hold of her hand again and went outside. She had to run to keep up with him. She didn’t even have time to wave farewell to her friends. With her free hand, she grabbed hold of the hem of her gown so she wouldn’t trip going down the stone steps.

  He didn’t slow his pace until they reached the circle drive. He stopped then, and after motioning to the driver to bring the carriage forward, he let go of her hand and half turned to look down at her.

  She immediately set about straightening her appearance. She smoothed her hair back over her shoulders, readjusted her cloak, then reached into her pocket to get her gloves.

  Her hands were shaking. Lucas noticed she had a difficult time getting her gloves on. She was obviously flustered, perhaps even a little afraid. He wondered if this was due to the way her friends and enemies reacted to her announcement or if he were in some way responsible. He considered asking her why she was trembling, then discarded the idea. She probably wouldn’t like knowing he was aware of her discomfort.

  In truth, he didn’t know what to make of her. She was such a dainty, feminine thing, yet certainly a tone high-strung. She blushed just like a schoolgirl and couldn’t look him in the eye. Her shyness amused him. He tried to picture her in the wilderness of Montana Territory and almost laughed out loud. Lady Taylor wouldn’t last five minutes. He knew he was making a snap judgment based solely upon appearance. Still, he didn’t think he was wrong. She looked as fragile and as exquisite as a piece of fine porcelain, an object to be admired from a distance but certainly not to be handled. Porcelain would easily shatter, and from his initial observation of the piece of fluff standing next to him, so would she. No, she couldn’t possibly survive in the wild, and thank God, she would never have to be put to the test.

  The sudden memory of Taylor using that ridiculous paper fan as a weapon to slap Merritt flashed into Lucas’s mind. She certainly hadn’t been timid then. Lucas frowned over the inconsistency.

  Taylor finally gained enough courage to look up at him. She could feel herself blushing and wished to God she wasn’t so transparent. The man had to believe she was a twit. God only knew she was feeling like one. She was determined to apologize to him no matter how embarrassing it was. She would have to admit she didn’t remember his name, unfortunately.

  Taylor caught him frowning down at her and immediately forgot all about apologies. She assumed he was irritated because she’d blurted out their secret. She felt guilty enough without his censure.

  “Please don’t be annoyed with me, sir. I know I shouldn’t have told everyone we were married, but I was simply too flustere
d to think straight. William was saying such horrible things about you, and I kept waiting for you to defend yourself. I realize you’ve been trained from a very early age to be a gentleman at all times, but still, there are some situations where manners should be set aside. You really should learn to stand up for yourself. I believe protecting one’s honor is more important than being gallant. Don’t you?”

  She waited a full minute for him to answer her. He remained stubbornly silent. She guessed that he didn’t agree with her. She let out a little sigh to cover her nervousness. “Do think about what I just said. I believe in time you’ll realize my suggestion has merit.”

  She had rendered him speechless. Lucas was simply too astonished to say anything. Never in his life had he ever been mistaken for a gentleman. And never had anyone ever tried to defend his honor. It was amusing and humbling. It was obvious to him from her earnest expression that she meant every word she’d said, and hell, should he set her straight now or wait?

  The driver had finally negotiated the carriage through the clutter of vehicles lining the drive and the street beyond. It was still rocking to a stop when Lucas turned to open the door for Taylor. William’s bellow and Taylor’s whispered exclamation made him pause.

  “Taylor, wait up.”

  “Oh, dear, now what does he want?”

  She instinctively turned to look up at the steps. William was racing toward her, taking the stairs two at a time in his haste to get to her.

  Lucas’s patience was wearing thin. “Get inside the carriage, Taylor,” he ordered. His tone was filled with irritation. “I’ll take care of him.”

  She ignored his command. “I really do wish he’d leave me alone, and I fully intend to tell him to do just that. You can’t fight my battles for me, sir. I have to fight my own. Do you know I almost married him?” She paused to add a dramatic shiver, then continued on. “Can you imagine? I thank God almost hourly I escaped such a tragedy.”

  Lucas turned to her. He smiled when he saw the disgruntled expression on her face. “Hourly?” he repeated.

  “Hourly,” she confirmed with a nod.

  William finally reached the bottom step. “Do remember my suggestion to stand up for yourself,” Taylor whispered to Lucas.

  “You aren’t playing fair, Taylor,” William began. He stopped no more than a foot or two away from her. “You haven’t given me an opportunity to explain why I had to marry Jane. You owe me that much. After all the time I spent courting you . . .”

  “I don’t owe you anything, William. Go away and leave me alone. I have nothing more to say to you.”

  He acted as though he hadn’t heard her. “We can go on like before. You’ll see. I can make you forget I’m married.”

  Her gasp of outrage would have knocked her over if she hadn’t grabbed hold of Lucas’s arm. Her dramatic reaction made him want to laugh, but he didn’t dare. He kept his gaze on Merritt when he spoke to Taylor. “I’ll be happy to finish this discussion for you. Just say the word.”

  She shook her head.

  “Tomorrow I’ll call on you, early in the morning before Jane wakes up,” William continued matter-of-factly. “You and I will find someplace quiet where we can talk. I have to make you understand. I know I hurt you. Still, that certainly wasn’t sufficient reason for you to lie about getting married. Whatever were you thinking to make up such an outrageous tale?”

  Taylor was too shocked by what William had just suggested to do more than glare at him. Good God, what had she ever seen in him? How had she ever believed he was attractive? His dark hair and green eyes no longer appealed to her. She used to find him a charmer. Now she thought of him as a smooth-talking devil. Lord, what an idiot she’d been. There wasn’t anything attractive about William Merritt. He disgusted her, for he lacked all of the qualities she most valued: honor, integrity, and loyalty.

  “You dare suggest I would continue associating with you after . . . after . . .” She was too indignant to go on. She had no wish to make a scene. Besides, nothing she could say would make him understand the grave insult he’d just given her. Did he really believe she would ever consider becoming his mistress?

  The thought made her stomach turn. She could feel her face burning. Taylor shook her head, then turned around and reached for the door latch to the carriage. Lucas beat her to the task. He grabbed hold of her elbow to steady her, assisted her inside, and then started to get inside with her.

  William took a step forward. “You shouldn’t let him escort you home,” he shouted so she would be certain to hear. “He’s a bastard, you know, with a reputation as black as the devil’s.”

  Taylor’s temper ignited. She shoved the door wider. It would have slammed into Lucas’s side if he hadn’t reached out to hold it steady. He didn’t want it to swing back into her face.

  “You will not talk about my husband with such disrespect. Get out of my sight, William, and never dare speak to me again. You’re a vile man, and I want nothing more to do with you.”

  After giving the cur what she considered a proper blistering, Taylor grabbed hold of the handle and pulled the door closed.

  Lucas could hear her muttering. William was proving to be as dense as a mule. He refused to believe the truth. Lucas leaned against the side of the carriage, folded his arms across his chest, and simply waited to see what he would do next.

  “You’re overly distraught, Taylor. I understand how you feel. You think I abandoned you and that’s why you lied about being married. First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll have our talk. Then you’ll forgive me.”

  Taylor gave up. She threw her hands up in vexation, then reached through the window to poke Lucas in the shoulder.

  “Please get inside. I would like to leave now.”

  “Isn’t it my turn yet?” Lucas asked. “I’m sure I could convince him.”

  William glared at Lucas. Lucas smiled back.

  “I would rather you didn’t get involved, sir,” she called through the window.

  “I’m already involved now that you’re my wife, Taylor.”

  William let out a roar very like a wounded animal. Taylor thought the squeal he made sounded like an injured pig. It was grating on the ears and most unpleasant.

  The obtuse man had finally caught on to the truth, however. “You actually married him? Are you crazy? Don’t you realize what you’ve done?”

  Taylor pushed the door open again. She leaned out, intent on giving William one final blistering, but the look on her escort’s face suggested she keep silent. His eyes had gone . . . cold. Taylor thought he probably wanted to avert a scene, and couples were already gathering on the steps, silently watching William make a fool of himself.

  Hampton and Morris came running down the steps. Taylor forced a smile for their benefit and then sat back.

  “Couldn’t we please leave now?” she whispered, hoping her escort would hear her.

  “Yes,” Lucas agreed. He turned to get inside, but William’s next words changed his mind.

  “Good riddance to the both of you. How does it feel knowing I had her first, brother? You’re getting my leftovers. She’s fit only for a savage like you,” he shouted.

  Taylor was appalled by the slander. Then she saw her escort’s expression. She became instantly frightened. God help her, she started shivering. She’d never seen anyone that angry before. He looked furious enough to kill someone. He’d turned into a barbarian right before her eyes.

  “Now it’s my turn.”

  She didn’t like the sound of that. She vigorously shook her head, but Lucas ignored her.

  William realized he’d gone too far when he saw the expression on Lucas’s face. He instinctively stepped back, then turned to his left and then his right, looking for a means of escape. There wasn’t any. Hampton, his face as white as flour, and Morris, his face as red as fire, deliberately blocked him on both sides. Neither man was going to let William go anywhere. They’d heard what he’d said about Taylor, and both men were still reeling with outrage
.

  Lucas towered over his half brother. He reached out, grabbed hold of William by his neck with one hand, half lifted him off the ground, and then slammed his fist into his face.

  He continued to hold him up in the air when he spoke to him. “If you ever repeat such slander again, I’ll come back here and kill you.”

  After giving the dark promise, he tossed him onto the curb. William collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.

  Lucas smiled at Morris and Hampton. His voice was quite mild when he said, “You’ll be sure to let me know if he ever says anything uncomplimentary about my wife, won’t you, boys?”

  “Yes, of course we will,” Morris fervently promised.

  Hampton nodded. He was fully occupied watching William struggle to his knees.

  Lucas got into the carriage, pulled the door closed, and leaned back against the seat across from Taylor. He was smiling with satisfaction.

  They were finally on their way. Taylor tried to squeeze herself into the opposite corner to put as much distance as possible between the two of them. It was a ludicrous goal, given the small dimensions inside the carriage and the large size of her escort, but Taylor wasn’t thinking very logically at the moment. She was too busy fighting her panic. She took a couple of deep breaths in a bid to calm herself. It didn’t help much, but she wanted to hide her nervousness from him. She did have her pride, after all.

  “A gentleman doesn’t settle disputes with his fists,” she dictated.

  She waited a long minute for him to offer his apology. He didn’t say a word. She decided to prod him. “I do believe you broke William’s nose. Have you nothing to say about that. sir?”

  “God, it felt good.”

  “I beg your pardon?” she asked.

  Lucas watched as she wrung her hands together with such agitation, she actually twisted her gloves off. He watched her for a long moment, then repeated his remark. “I said, it felt good. You wouldn’t want me to lie to you, would you?”

  “No, of course I wouldn’t want you to lie to me. You aren’t at all sorry?”