“Well, well. If it isn’t the indomitable Mrs. Fairfax in London.”
She froze, the blood draining from her face as though a stopper had been pulled. Nausea rose in her throat, and for a moment she thought she might be sick right there on the pavement. The world narrowed to the sound of her own heartbeat thundering in her ears, so loud she was certain everyone could hear it. Her hands began to tremble where they rested on James’s arm. It was him. Julian Fane.
Turning slowly, her half-boots scraping against the stone steps, she found herself face to face with a man she hadn’t seen in over a year. The man who had scared her so badly the last time she saw him that she fled to Brighton to avoid him. Julian Fane, the younger brother of Robert’s lover, stood on the pavement in a dark green coat that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders. His gloves were an immaculate white, his boots polished to a mirror shine, and his smile as predatory as any she’d ever seen. She could barely breathe, remembering the smell of his hot breath on her neck when he’d cornered her in the drawing room of the home she’d shared with Robert, the way his hands had grabbed at her.
“What a glorious surprise to see you in London.” He tilted his head slightly as his gaze traveled over her with insulting thoroughness. His voice dropped to a murmur that wouldn’t carry to the others. “You’re radiant.”
James stepped forward protectively, and she felt him tense beside her, clearly sensing her distress even if he didn’t understand its source. He held out his hand, his jaw set. “Lord James Ashford. Who might you be?”
Julian’s eyes flicked briefly to James’s outstretched hand, then took a fraction too long to shake it. “Mr. Julian Fane,” he said with a slight incline of his head. “You must be the recently restored Lord Ashford. Congratulations on your reemergence.”
She shivered, her breath coming in shallow gasps. On the outside he was as charming as anyone she’d met. But his good manners hid a sinister side. A man who had never been denied anything he’d ever demanded. Except for her.
James’s expression remained unreadable, though Georgiana noticed the subtle way his shoulders squared, as if preparing for impact. She could feel his concern radiating from him, could see him taking note of her pallor, her trembling. “You have me at a disadvantage, Mr. Fane. How do you know my name?”
Julian’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Oh, news travels quickly in Town. You and your brother are the only thing anyone’s gossiped about in months. You know how it is here.”
“I don’t actually,” James said stiffly. “But I intend to find out.”
Julian shifted his gaze back to Georgiana, his smile turning pointed. “I simply happened to be passing by. Though what luck to encounter such a charming tableau.” He turned toward Cecily and Lavinia. “Miss Linley. Lady Linley. How nice to meet you.”
Cecily, still standing on the bottom step, tilted her head, obviously trying to figure out who he was. “A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fane.”
Julian offered a gallant bow. “Your sister spoke of you often duringour friendship.”
Cecily’s brow furrowed slightly, but she curtsied politely. “Then you have the advantage of me, Mr. Fane.”
Georgiana’s chest tightened. They had hardly been friends. The word felt like a violation.
“Darling, how do you know each other?” Lavinia asked, apparently forgetting her desperate need for tea now that a handsome young man had arrived.
“My brother Thomas was Robert’s dearest mate,” Julian said smoothly. “Which meant that the lovely Mrs. Fairfax and I were shuffled off to spend time together while they did…whatever it is they did together.”
Black dots floated in front of Georgiana’s eyes, and she gripped James’s arm tighter to keep from swaying. This was Julian’s way of threatening her. He knew as well as she did the true nature of Robert and Thomas’s relationship. It was true that they had often been sent off to occupy themselves while the men spent time together. She shuddered to think about exactly what had transpired. None of it mattered now, anyway.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Fane,” James said, his tone cool and final. She could hear the protective edge in his voice, could feel how carefully he was watching her reaction. “But you must excuse us. We’ve had a long journey.”
Julian’s gaze flicked between them, lingering a heartbeat too long on Georgiana’s hand resting on James’s arm. Something in his posture shifted, just slightly. A tightening. A quiet spike of possessiveness masked behind perfect posture.
“Of course. Far be it from me to intrude.” He swept another shallow bow. “Do enjoy settling in. I daresay this Season will be unforgettable.”
Georgiana didn’t breathe until he’d turned and disappeared into the afternoon foot traffic. His boots clicked with the kind of casualarrogance that came from being the second son of a noble family. A man who moved through the world certain it would part for him.
Only when he was gone did James speak, his voice low and urgent. “Friend or foe?”
“Foe,” she whispered, barely able to get the word out. “I’ll tell you about him later.” She would have to now. There was no way around it.
But even as she said it, she knew she wouldn’t. Couldn’t. The shame was too deep, the secrets too dangerous.
Lavinia had remained curiously silent through the entire exchange, but now cleared her throat delicately. “Well, he’s handsome, I’ll grant him that. And hopefully well-connected.”
Cecily still looked faintly puzzled. “What an odd man. He smiled so much, but it didn’t seem right.”
“No,” Georgiana said softly, stepping up to the door on unsteady legs. “It wasn’t. And you best pay attention to your instincts here, my love. There are foxes and snakes at every turn.”
*
The townhouse welcomedthem with the warm glow of gas lamps already lit, their flickering reflections dancing across polished marble floors. A wide hall stretched from the entry, lined with soft gray wainscoting and faded gilt-framed paintings of mostly landscapes, softened by time. A graceful staircase rose from the far end, its banister worn smooth by generations of hands.
