Yes, Julius thought grimly, he knew what the man meant. And his little mouse was dead. Once he got her safely back home, he was going to kill her. Without another word, Julius pushed across the room and flew out the front door. He took the steps in one leap and landed hard on the sidewalk. Heart pounding, he looked down the street. Empty. Had the tall man grabbed her, smuggled her into his carriage? Left her body lying in an alley?
Sweat beaded his temple, and he swallowed down his panic. Worrying would get him nowhere. Turning away from the darkened end of the street, he jogged towards the busy intersection, stopping at every alley to peer inside. Looking for bodies behind every porch.
A large fight in the middle of the busy cross street drew his attention. A group of five hackney drivers had climbed down from their stations and had come to blows, blocking the street so no other carriages could pass. A crush of pedestrians packed the sidewalk, enjoying the violence.
Julius almost missed the other, smaller crowd clustered not ten feet from him. They faced inward, away from the brawl in the street. Pushing his way through, his heart faltered with his feet when he saw Amanda’s still form laying on the ground, her cloak flared out around her body. A man knelt beside her and reached his filthy hands under her knees and shoulders.
Grabbing the back of his collar, Julius threw the bastard into the legs of a man in the crowd. He dropped next to Amanda and felt for a pulse. It throbbed beneath his fingers, and every muscle in his body sagged with relief. He caressed her face and his fingers came away sticky with blood.
The sack of shit Julius had tossed aside pushed to his feet. “Bloody hell. The lady is a … friend, and I was only going to take her home to recover.”
Julius’s fingers twitched, and he curled them into the thick velvet of Amanda’s cloak to keep them away from the liar’s throat. His vision blurred in his anger. “Not yours.” He didn’t recognize his own voice. “Mine.”
The man backed away, palms raised. “I was only trying to help.”
Help himself to a defenseless woman more like. Julius’s blood boiled, but he refrained from teaching the bastard a lesson. Seeing to Amanda took priority. Gently, he scooped her into his arms and strode back towards The Black Rose and his carriage.
His driver saw him coming and hopped down from his perch, quick to open the carriage’s door. Julius climbed inside and winced when he banged Amanda’s knee into the bench seat. Her breathing remained even.
He laid her down and untied her cloak. He searched her body for injury, finding none but the bump on her head. Tearing at the laces of her corset, he peeled it off of her and watched as her chest heaved a deep breath.
He rested his palm on her stomach and sat back on his heels. The slow rise and fall of her belly calmed his racing heartbeat. He pounded on the ceiling of the carriage and yelled, “Home!” Pulling out his handkerchief, he dabbed at the trickles of blood rolling down her cheek and neck and into her hair. The only cut appeared to be at her chin, a deep scrape that held a bit of gravel. He cleaned it as best he could.
Her eyelids fluttered and slid open, her gaze unfocused. Julius hovered over her and cupped her cheek. Her eyes widened. Jerking up, she looked from one open window to the other, chest heaving. “The people—” Her words broke off in a wheeze.
Cursing, Julius closed the windows and drapes. He lengthened the wick on the gas lamp in the carriage only to see Amanda scuttling into the corner, drawing her knees up tight to her chest.
“Amanda,” he said, his voice sterner than she deserved. “You’re all right. You’re safe.”
She moaned, burying her head in her arms.
Julius raised her head and ripped off the mask. He gripped her cheeks between his palms. “You’re safe.”
Digging her fingers into his coat, she closed her eyes. Her breaths remained sharp, ragged. Without thought, Julius dragged her onto his lap, holding her body close. Her tremors spread to him. Her panic became his. The carriage was too fucking small, and he couldn’t breathe. Burying his nose in her hair, he closed his eyes and tried to picture them in an open field. On a picnic, perhaps. Amanda lying on a blanket, the wind tousling her dark locks, smiling up at him as the sun kissed her skin.
By God, he would make that happen.
She twisted, and their hearts beat against each other. Rubbing the back of her neck, he tried to force his pulse to slow through sheer force of will. “My God, Amanda, what were you thinking?”
He didn’t expect a response, thinking she was too far gone to answer. The shake of her head against his shoulder was encouraging.
“Breathe with me and relax,” he told her. He took deep, slow breaths, and was satisfied when she eventually matched his rhythm. “That’s it.” They sat together, one of his legs going numb under her weight, and simply breathed.
The carriage rattled to a stop. “Keep your eyes closed.” Ignoring the pins and needles in his thigh, he lifted Amanda and climbed down the stairs when the footman opened the door. Like a well-oiled machine, the front door of the duke’s townhouse opened as he approached. For once, Julius was glad of his friend’s servants.
“Shall I send for a doctor, my lord?” Carter sniffed and trailed him to the staircase.
“Not yet.” Besides the scrape on her jaw, Julius didn’t think Amanda was injured. Not physically. “But stand by.”
He took the stairs two at a time, lungs burning, and strode to his room. Reggie scampered out of Amanda’s chamber and yipped at his heels. Julius started to close the door in his face, but the pup’s mournful whimper stopped him. “Fine. Get in here.” Reggie bounded across the room in two leaps and jumped onto the bed, tail wagging. Julius kicked the door closed behind him.
Gently, he lowered Amanda to the bed. She immediately turned onto her side, facing away from him. Reggie lay next to her and licked her face. Throwing her arm over the dog, she pulled him close to her chest.
Julius took a step back, flexing and clenching his fists. The immediate rush for action was over, and his body sagged with lethargy. She was safe. Secure in his care. Pressing his palms into the mattress, Julius slumped over. If anything had happened to her …
Well, that was something best not thought of. Marcus would have killed him, of course. Letting harm come to his sister-in-law after taking her to The Black Rose. Still might kill him just over taking her to their club. His friend saw the world through a practical lens, however, and knew that his sister-in-law was no untouched virgin. Still, there was no reason to announce the visit.
He placed a hand on her hip, hating the way she flinched. “Would you like some water? Tea?” he asked.
