“A mere breath, Lady Harriet.”
“That’s not necessary, my lord. I’m perfectly well.”
“Nonsense, my lady. Your cheeks are terribly flushed.”
“Lord Egerton!” She stopped, tugging at her arm. “I must insist you release me at once.”
But Lord Egerton didn’t release her. He tightened his grip, his fingers digging into her flesh as he all but dragged her toward a shallow alcove set into an overlooked corner of the ballroom.
This time, real alarm shot through her. “Let go of me!”
She managed to tear her arm free of his hold, but with the quickness of a snake snatching its prey he seized her wrist in a punishing grip. “Not so fast, Lady Harriet.”
He yanked her forward with such violence she tripped, and one of her slippers came off her foot, but he paid it no mind and kept pulling her toward a door set into the back wall of the alcove.
It wasn’t a door one was likely to stumble across accidentally. It was set well away from the main part of the ballroom, but Lord Egerton had certainly known it was there, and?—
Dear God. He’d planned this! That was why he’d solicited her hand for the first two dances. He’d intended to get her alone from the start, and he couldn’t have chosen a better place for it. There was no one nearby. The alcove was dimly lit, and far enough away from the rest of the company that she could only just make out the murmur of the crowd and the faint strains of a violin playing another country dance.
Panic swept over her, and she began to struggle in earnest. “Release me! How dare you? Lord Egerton, I insist you?—”
“Be quiet, Lady Harriet.”
By this point they’d reached the door, and he jerked it open with one hand and attempted to force her through it with his body, but fear gave her a strength she hadn’t realized she possessed, and she slammed her foot down on top of his. It might have been enough to make him release her if she hadn’t lost her slipper, but alas, a kick with a bare foot had little effect, and he merely laughed.
Rage and panic fogged her brain, and before she knew what she was about, she’d sunk her fingernails into his wrist, just above the edge of his glove where the silk gave way to bare skin.
“Damn it!” He jerked his hand away and stared down at the smear of blood seeping from the cut she’d left. “You’ve ruined my glove, you ridiculous chit! You’ll pay for your insolence once we’re married!”
Married? What in the world did he mean? “You’re mad! I’m not going to marry you!”
He yanked her through the door, slammed it shut behind them and pushed her against it, pinning her there with his body. “Oh, but you will, my lady. You may be certain of that.”
A chilly wind sliced through her and goosebumps rose on the bare skin of her neck and shoulders. Were they outdoors? She cast a quick glance around her, trying to get her bearings.
They’d come out on some sort of terrace with a wrought iron railing surrounding it, and what looked like a small garden underneath it.
If she could manage to get over the side of the railing?—
“Before you do anything foolish, Lady Harriet, may I remind you Lady Dumfries’s ballroom is on the second floor of her townhouse.” He waved a hand toward the railing, a smirk on his lips. “I daresay you could get over it, but you’ll find it’s a long way down.”
She stared at him, fear clawing at her and stealing her reason. Oh, why hadn’t she listened to Cass! He’d been right about Lord Egerton all along, and like a fool, she’d dismissed his warnings.
Now it was too late. He had her just where he wanted her.
But if Lord Egerton thought she’d dissolve into floods of tears, he was very much mistaken. She wouldn’t give in so easily as that.
She clenched her hands into fists to keep them from shaking and raised her chin. “I don’t know what you hope to accomplishwith this disgraceful stunt, Lord Egerton. I will not marry you. I wouldn’t marry you if you were the only gentleman left in England.”
He threw his head back in a laugh. “Such spirit! But that’s where you’re wrong, Lady Harriet. You will indeed marry me, if you value your reputation.”
“Ah, I understand it now. You think to keep me out here long enough for thetonto draw all the wrong conclusions. But you’ve chosen the wrong lady for your games, my lord. My brother will never force me into a marriage I don’t want, no matter if thetondoes believe I’ve been compromised. You may as well let me return to Lady Fosberry.”
She attempted to step away from him, but he blocked her and thrust his face into hers, so close she could taste the stench of his breath. He was panting with exertion, a thin sheen of sweat covering his face. Bile rushed into her throat, and it was all she could do not to gag.
“No, I don’t think so, Lady Harriet. But you’ve quite mistaken the matter, you know. I have no intention of compromising you, although I admit it’s tempting.” He caught one of her ringlets in his hand, laughing when she jerked away from him. “This is about your letters.”
Letters? What letters? He truly had gone mad. “I have no idea what you’re?—”
