No!
“How long?” he thundered.
Lucy backed away, her hip hitting the vanity’s edge. She yelped before protesting, “You should not be here, Joshua.”
“How long have you been sneaking out with the Stonewynn dog, Lucy? When did you learn to sneak out and act like a common whore? Did you—did you,” he growled, “roll in the dirt with him?”
There was no hope of reasoning with him. He was no longer hiding his anger.
He threw the note at her face, and it fluttered to the floor like a bird after a hunt.
“He’s a friend!” she cried. “Victoria’s brother. I have not shamed this family, Joshua!”
“Friend?” Joshua laughed humorlessly as he stalked toward her. He reached her in three angry strides and grabbed both her arms tightly. She knew she would get bruises by morning. “Do you think I’m a fool, Lucy? That I’m blind? I have been working hard to ensure you remain pure. For years, Lucy! Because of me, people stayed away. Men do not want someone delicate, someone prone to fits. I could not imagine anyone daring to take you away from me!”
Lucy gasped. She had heard whispers about herself, but had not truly cared. But her own brother spread the rumors? Why?
“You were the one who spread rumors about me? I did not care about them, you know, thinking it was the likes of Lady Cecily fabricating them. But you?You?How could you? For three Seasons, I wondered what was wrong with me!”
“I was protecting you!” Joshua roared, his glazed eyes making him look unhinged.
He shook her hard, his fingers digging into her flesh.
“All those men are not worthy of you. Not Sterling. Not Barton. Not Stonewynn! Especially not a rake like him! They would not know how to worship you, Lucy. Dear Lucy,” he ranted, his voice lowering to a frightening murmur.
He leaned down, bringing his face closer to hers. She could smell his pomade and the sherry he had imbibed at whatever gentleman’s club he might have just left. More than that, she saw something she had been trying to ignore?—
the hunger in his eyes.
There was a twisted longing there that made her stomach churn.
“You are mine, Lucy. Mine!” he declared, in an intimate tone she didn’t like. “You have always been my pride and joy, and the only reason I still strive to live.”
“Stop it, Joshua!” she protested, pounding her fists on his chest to no avail. “Are you—are you? No! You are talking nonsense, Brother. We are of the same blood. Same father. Same mother!”
“Blood made our bond stronger,” Joshua argued. He released her arm to cup her cheek. His thumb grazed her lower lip, and she could not suppress a shudder. “Royals marry within theirfamilies. It has kept their blood pure. Cousins marry in London. How much different can we be?”
“It’s a sin. It’s not natural, Joshua!” Lucy cried. “Let me send for a physician so they can see what is wrong with you. I can forget this. Just let someone check you.”
“I am sane!” he yelled, tightening his grip on her once more. She felt so bruised inside and outside. “I spent years watching you. At first, I thought it was merely the protective, platonic love of a brother. You are the spitting image of our mother, but with more spirit and zest for life. As you grew older, I realized that I could not bear seeing any other man touch you. I would burn London to ashes before Daniel Brighton touches the woman who belongs to me.”
He let go of her.
She rubbed her arms and tried to put more distance between them. A shiver racked her body.
Joshua began to pace the room, growing even more agitated. His movements were quick and jerky.
“Don’t fret, Lucy. Nobody in London has to know about us. I planned everything. We could keep it secret. We could be devoted siblings in public, but at home, we could be more.”
Lucy sobbed as fear wrapped around her heart and squeezed.
“It’s still not too late. We can do something else, but not here. Not anymore. We will leave tonight.”
She saw the frightening calm that came over him as he faced her with an oddly hopeful smile.
“Leaving London? To where?”
“America,” he declared proudly. “There, we don’t need titles. No one will know who we are. I have enough money to buy us a new name. A new life. We will live together as husband and wife. Nobody has to know! Nobody will know.”
