Lady Beatrice’s lips tightened. “I will admit to some curiosity on my behalf, Lady Huntingdon.”
She did not miss the bitterness in the other woman’s voice when she referred to Helena by her title. “Let us be candid then, shall we? I find no need to prolong this visit.”
“Please do proceed,” Lady Beatrice urged coolly.
“Of course.” Helena paused, trying her best to calm the raging emotions churning through her. “Mayhap we should begin with a common acquaintance of ours, though I truly wish my path had never crossed with his.”
Lady Beatrice’s nostrils flared. “You would dare to disparage Lord Huntingdon, your husband, to me, his betrothed? And so soon after you have wed. Have you no shame?”
Helena would have smiled at her hostess’ supposition were she not so thoroughly outraged. “I would never dare to disparage his lordship to anyone, least of all hisformerbetrothed. You are mistaken, Lady Beatrice. The mutual acquaintance I refer to is, regrettably, Lord Algernon Forsyte.”
Lady Beatrice’s sharp intake of breath gave away her guilt even as she attempted to lie. “Lord Algernon Forsyte is most certainly not one of my acquaintances. The man is a scoundrel and a rogue with a reputation that precedes him. I would never lower myself to consort with a man of his ilk.”
“How odd, then, that Lord Algernon was only too quick to share a tale concerning your collusion with him in an attempt to make it look as if I were betraying Lord Huntingdon,” she countered.
Her hostess stiffened. “I will not subject myself to your vicious lies, Lady Huntingdon. If this is all you have come here for, I am afraid it is truly best for you to go.”
“It is notallI have come here for,” Helena said, smiling as the momentum of their visit changed in favor of her. “I have also come here to let you know that any future attempts at interference in my marriage by you—or anyone acting at your behest—will be dealt with swiftly and ruthlessly. I am showing you mercy on this occasion, Lady Beatrice. But do not fool yourself into believing I will not strike back if you ever dare to do something like this again.”
“You are a lunatic, madam,” Lady Beatrice charged, her voice shrill. “I would never lower myself to intervene in your marriage. You are beneath me. You are not worthy of Huntingdon. He could have had me at his side, and instead he had to settle for a woman who threw herself into the arms of every man in London, no better than a lightskirt.”
Helena flinched at the vitriol in the other woman’s tone, but still, she refused to be defeated. “Better me than a woman who would bribe a man to rape someone she perceived as an opponent.”
“I never bribed that disgusting scoundrel to rape you! I paid him to make itlookas if you were lovers.”
Lady Beatrice’s denial was so loud, it echoed in the silence of the salon. She clapped a hand over her mouth, as if belatedly realizing the confession she had made with her denial.
The vindication sweeping over Helena was bittersweet. “Just as I thought. You admit to offering Lord Algernon money in exchange for his blackmailing of me. What was the plan, Lady Beatrice? I was to give him the thousand pounds and in exchange, he would pin me to the floor and force his attentions upon me until my husband arrived?”
The notion of Lady Beatrice’s scheming made Helena’s blood boil. After Jo had returned to her with her necklace and the tale Decker’s men had wrung from Lord Algernon, Helena had been struck numb. The terrible thought of another man forcing himself upon her, coupled with Gabe bearing witness, had been too much to bear. After his heartrending revelation about what had happened to his sister, the news had sent Helena running to the water closet to cast up her accounts.
Lady Beatrice was staring at her with a stricken expression, saying nothing in her own defense. Mayhap because her behavior had been indefensible. Helena could only hope the other woman knew it.
“Have you nothing to say, Lady Beatrice?” she prodded, her tone biting. “No more false denials?”
“Lord Algernon came to me with the idea,” Lady Beatrice gritted. “The fault for what happened is yours, and yours alone. If you had not been conducting yourself in such despicable, amoral fashion, none of this would have happened. But instead, you were flitting about London, lifting your skirts for anyone in trousers. Huntingdon was attempting to save your reputation because he is a gentleman, and in the end, you caught him in your web like any spider. I never stood a chance against someone like you.”
Helena rose to her full, commanding height. “You are correct in that assessment, Lady Beatrice. You never did stand a chance against me, and if you ever again attempt to interfere in my marriage, you will discover all the reasons why.”
Lady Beatrice rose, but she was far more petite, reaching no higher than Helena’s shoulder. “Are you threatening me?”
Helena stepped nearer, her gaze trained upon the other woman, never so much as blinking. “I am not threatening you, my dear. I ampromisingyou. Keep your distance from myself and Lord Huntingdon from this moment forward. You can desire to hurt me all you like, but I will not allow you to hurt him. If I ever hear even the tiniest speck of a rumor that you are attempting to hurt us again, I will come for you. And I will not be nearly as understanding as I was on this occasion. Consider this your first and only chance, my lady. There shall not be another.”
“How dare you presume to speak to me thus? Who do you think you are?” Lady Beatrice demanded.
Helena smiled. “I am the Countess of Huntingdon. Never forget it.”
On that note, she turned and began taking her leave before recalling she had failed to play her final trump card. She waited until she had nearly reached the door to the salon before spinning about and facing Lady Beatrice for what she could only hope proved the last time.
“Oh, and my lady? One more thing before I take my leave. Lord Algernon may be a disreputable scoundrel and an abysmal gambler, but he is also quite sly. You left him with a parting gift when you last met, and I have in my possession a handkerchief embroidered with your initials, complete with a delicate little rose in the corner. Roses are your favorite flower, are they not? If you ever dare to try anything like this again, I will not hesitate to return themouchoirto Lord Algernon so that he may use it as evidence to anyone and everyone in London that Lady Beatrice Knightbridge shared a bed with him.”
“You would not do something so despicable!” Lady Beatrice gasped.
Helena laughed. “When it comes to protecting the man I love and my marriage, I would do anything. Do not test me, my lady, or you shall be sorely disappointed. I bid you good day.”
The last personGabe expected to cross paths with on the pavements outside Lady Beatrice’s father’s townhome was his wife. But there was no denying it—just as he was striding up the cement, she was sailing down it. They met halfway.
Her vibrant eyes went wide, her hand flying to the base of her throat, until she realized it was he before her on the path. “Gabe!”
