I glanced around the room and spied the dueling pistols displayed on a shelf. With shaking legs, I pulled a pistol down. It carried a fine layer of dust and looked to be merely decorative. Itwouldn’t matter. Gavin wouldn’t know that. I shoved it into my pocket just before the door opened.
Gavin burst in, followed by Henry. The smaller man’s color was high, his eyes shooting daggers at the actor. “Lady Lillian, I’m sorry. I’ll order the butler to call the constable.”
“You might wish to curtail that plan.” Gavin held up a slender volume—a very familiar volume—and brandished it in front of my face. My stomach dropped, and my hands shook as I recognized the book cover.
The actor wasn’t nearly as tall as Kendrick but no less intimidating. He was showing signs of excess up close, his face puffy and broken vessels over his strong nose.
How I had ever thought him objectively attractive was beyond my reasoning at this moment. “Henry, please leave us alone,” I said, barely above a whisper.
He glanced from me to Gavin, uncertainty in his worried frame. “Are you sure?”
I wasn’t sure of anything. If he guessed the truth about the book, I had to hear him out. There was no other option. “I believe Gavin merely wishes to talk.”
“I will be outside if you need anything.” Lips pressed tight in disapproval, Henry left the room.
The tension increased without Henry’s presence. Birds chirped in the garden beyond; otherwise, there was a deafening silence. My gaze drifted to my desk, and my heart sank.I didn’t remove the page from the typewriter!I edged my way over, careful not to move too quickly. Panicking wasn’t an option. “What, um, what do you want?” I asked, displeased by the reedy quality of my voice. It showed weakness when I desperately needed strength.
He lifted the book and pointed to the title before rifling through the book's pages. “Kneeling at the Altar of Lord Golden. It has a very distinctive title. One I recognized.”
Moran had insisted on changing the title to Lord Golden and not Achilles since the body of the work was transformed so much. The way I saw it, I had two options: either deny or admit to the truth. If I was sure of his integrity, I might choose the latter. I opted for the former instead. “I’m not familiar with it.”
“Really? You are not Mr. Lillian?” he cocked one brow, daring me to contradict him.
It required all of my strength not to yield to the black dots overcoming my vision. I had fainted the night of my engagement. This time, Kendrick wasn’t here to catch me. “No. Whatever gave you that idea?” My bravado might have been convincing if my teeth weren’t chattering.
“Your husband asked me to play the part of Lord Golden. You were on the balcony the day I was modeling for him. You saw us. Do not deny it.” He sneered, a line of spittle forming at the corner of his wide mouth.
I swallowed the bile rising in my stomach. “What do you want, Mr. Gavin?”
“What do I want? I want what you have.” He glanced around the room, his eyes locking on my typewriter. If he read a single line, my lie would be exposed for what it was.
“You want my husband. That part is obvious.” The more I considered what he might want, the angrier I became. I couldn’t confirm his accusation, nor would I give him ammunition to use it against me.
“I can have any man I wish for, Lady Lillian. I want a place of my own with an allowance. Kendrick can give that to me. From what I read of your work—and it is brilliant writing, I’ll give you that—you were open to his specific tastes.” His stern regard lessened, and a more sinister light replaced it. “I’ll be your Lord Golden.”
“You are trying to blackmail me on an assumption?” It would be laughable if it weren’t so serious. My marriage had comeabout because of what I had seen. He was playing the same game.
“It is no assumption, and you know it. The author is Mr. Lillian. The title page drifted into Alton’s garden from your home. Kendrick asked me to be Lord Golden. He promised to pay me, and he reneged on that promise. Now, I’m a reasonable man. I simply wish to have what you have.” He approached until he was mere arm length away and tried to use his greater size to intimidate me.
My heart in my throat, I backed up. My bottom connected with the desk. Dread strangled my throat. I sank my hand into my pocket and pulled the gun from the fabric. “You go too far, Mr. Gavin. Step away from me. Now.”
He stared at the gun, his eyes widening before holding up his hands. “You don’t know what you are doing. I need simply say the word, and I can expose you to all of society. Your husband will be ruined, and you will bring about his shame. Is that what you want? To bring shame to his family and yours?”
“There is something you are forgetting. Kendrick is my husband and my lover. He’s not yours now, nor will he ever be again.” My words gained strength as the numbness of my thoughts faded. I had the upper hand, not him, and I would use it. The upstart thought to take what belonged to me. I wouldn’t let him do it. “I’m the Duchess of Alton, and I have the power to ruin you. By the time I’m finished, you will rue the day you ever thought to blackmail Kendrick or me. Go, tell the world who you think I am.”
“You are bluffing.”
“I don’t need to bluff. Just ask yourself, who do you think they will believe? Me or you?”Just because she shared the author’s name wouldn’t be enough to convince people. If anyone questioned Moran, he would point them to the Lillian Trading Company and not directly to me or Kendrick.
A slight scratching noise sounded from the servants’ entrance behind my desk, giving me added confidence. Henry said he would be outside the door. I wasn’t alone, and if I screamed, he would come running.
Gavin’s face paled the more I spoke, the winds taken out of his sails. “You wouldn’t come out of this unscathed, Your Grace. Moran will be outed for peddling libertine prose, and Kendrick will be tainted with the stench of his queerness. Give me what you owe me, and I’ll keep this to myself. I—”
“She owes you nothing. I owe you nothing.” Kendrick spoke in a low growl from somewhere behind me. “Colt, see to Lillian.”
I snapped my head around and spied my husband striding into the room from the servants entrance, along with Colt. Joy mingled with relief at the sight of the men, but the situation was too dire to let down my guard.
“There, you are wrong, Kendrick.” Gavin lifted his chin, eyes narrowed. “We have much to discuss.”
