“And what if he is illegitimate?” She asked her brother.
“Then he loses everything.” Dominic’s voice was grim.
She stared across the track at Austin, who just left the eager Lady Amelia.
Her throat felt suddenly dry. “Why would someone threaten?—”
“It’s just rumors, Dee, and rumors rarely require proof,” Dominic said. “Proof is what matters. Without evidence, it is justgossip. But if someone finds evidence…” He shook his head. “It would be catastrophic for Austin.”
Deena already figured out that the blackmailer did not need her to publish the rumors. He needed her specifically for proof that it was concrete, something irrefutable. He was using her to break Austin.
Her fingers curled into her skirts, and her heart raced so hard she thought it might bruise her ribs. But reality crashed around her.
I have one day left.
One day, to produce proof regarding the illegitimacy of Austin’s birth or her secret, and her friend’s, would be exposed. And Austin would lose everything. Now that she had the perfect story for the blackmailer, she was conflicted. There was no way she could help everyone, and it made her feel sick.
Dominic touched her arm. “Dee? You’ve gone pale.”
She forced a smile. “Just… the excitement has gotten to me.”
“You don’t have to keep lying to me, Dee.” He frowned, but he didn’t argue. “I’m going to get you a drink and look for my darling wife. Stay here.”
“All right,” Deena said softly.
Dominic left, and she noticed that Austin was close to her now, bow still in hand, coat slung over one shoulder, shirt clinging to his chest from the ride. His grin widened even more when he reached her.
“Were you entertained by the spectacle?” he asked, stopping near enough that she could smell sweat and leather.
Deena swallowed. “You hit the center, which is… very impressive.”
Austin leaned close to her ear and whispered. “I have to say, I do enjoy it when you look flushed. That color looks good on you.”
Her skin burned even more.
“We agreed that you shouldn’t speak like that!” she hissed as she glanced towards the nearest cluster of guests who were eyeing them suspiciously.
“I only agreed to not speak about what took place in that meadow,” he said smoothly.
Austin’s gaze dropped to her mouth, lingering there until Deena felt it tingle. She stared up at him, heart pounding, nostrils flaring with anger that he did not care about becoming the talk of the town as much as she did.
“Why do you seem scared?” he asked softly.
Deena’s chin lifted, though her pulse betrayed her with a frantic flutter at the base of her throat. “Scared of what?”
He leaned in a fraction closer. “Of me?”
She let out a bark of laughter. “I’m not scared of you or anyone for that matter.”
Deena could feel the warmth of his body. She was so lost in thought and his scent that she almost did not hear him say, “Good girl.”
The two words landed like a spark on dry tinder.
Deena felt heat bloom across her cheeks again. Her breath caught audibly, and Austin’s eyes darkened at the sound.
“You’re blushing,” he observed, and seemed pleased. “Again.”
“I am not,” she snapped, though the lie was ridiculous; she could feel her skin was practically glowing.
