“John believed me when I told him that nothing happened last night. It was all perfectly innocent, Tommy—nothing did happen. Philip Caxton doesn’t want me anymore—You’ve seen how he acts with Estelle. There’s no reason for you to be upset.”
“No reason!” Tommy stormed. “He was in your room, and you were—you wereundressed! Do you call that nothing? I won’t have him here any longer, Christina. I won’t have it!”
“Now, Tommy, stop it! Philip has a right to stay here. His son is here.”
“I’ll talk to John about this! That man is not going to remain in this house with you!”
“This is my house as much as it is John’s!” Christina yelled. “And I say Philip can stay here.”
“Damn it!” He slammed the riding crop down on the table.
“Tommy,” she said, “Philip is here only because of his son—not because of me. Can’t you understand that?”
“Then why in God’s name don’t you give him his son?”
“You can’t be serious,” Christina laughed.
“If all Caxton wants is his son, give him to the man. I never wanted the brat, anyway,” Tommy said bitterly. “We’ll have sons of our own, Christina, just as soon as we’re married.Myson!”
Slowly Christina said, “I’m thankful you told me how you feel about Philip Junior before we were married. Now there will be no marriage. If you don’t want my son, I can’t possibly marry you, Tommy.”
“Christina!”
“You don’t understand how I feel about my child, do you? He is my baby, Tommy, and I love him with all my heart. Nothing on this earth could make me give him up.”
“You never intended to marry me, did you?” Tommy screamed, his face contorted. A cold chill went down Christina’s spine. “You’ve loved that man all along! Well, you won’t have him, Christina. Mark my words! Philip Caxton will regret the day he ever came into this house. And so will you!”
“Tommy!” she screamed. But he ran from the house, slamming the entrance door behind him.
Christina started to shake uncontrollably. What was she going to do? What was Tommy going to do? She had to find Philip and warn him, but she had no idea where he was.
Christina ran up the stairs two at a time. She went straight into Philip’s room and closed the door. She would wait for him here. Oh, Philip—please hurry! Tommy was like a madman!
Twenty minutes passed while Christina paced the floor in Philip’s room. They seemed like hours. She kept going over what Tommy had said, wondering what he had meant. When she heard footsteps in the corridor, she held her breath, praying it was Philip. When the door opened, she almost fainted with relief.
“What the devil are you doing here? Are you trying to pay me back for last night?” Philip asked coldly. He came into the room taking off his heavy riding jacket.
Christina was stung by his harshness, but she remembered why she was here.
“Philip, I came here to warn you. Tommy made a threat against you, and he was acting so oddly that I—”
“Don’t be absurd, Christina!” Philip cut her off. “You asked me to leave your room last night, and now I am asking you to leave mine. Your brother has made it quite clear that he doesn’t want us alone again.”
“Did he say that?”
“Not exactly, but it amounted to the same thing,” he returned.
“But Philip, Tommy said he would make you regret ever coming here. He—”
“Do you actually imagine that I give a damn what Huntington says? I assure you, madam, I can take care of myself.” He turned away from her, leaving her in a state of confusion. “If your young lover attempts anything, I will try not to hurt him. Now kindly get out of my room!”
Christina grabbed Philip’s arm and turned him back to face her, her stormy blue eyes clashing with his angry green ones.
“I think he means to kill you! Can’t you get that through your thick head, damn it?”
“Quite right, Christina, that is exactly what I intend to do,” said Tommy.
Christina felt suddenly sick, and she felt the muscles tense in Philip’s arm. She turned slowly to look at Tommy standing in the doorway. He held two pistols pointed directly at Philip.
