Eight Hunting Lyons (The Lyon’s Den Connected World)

Chapter Eleven

C onvulsively clutching the handle of the basket, Honoria stared in horror at Danford. There could be only one reason he was here. Valiantly, she swallowed back the gorge that arose in her throat as fear slithered through every part of her body. Think, she must think. Here, at the far end of the garden, she had no hope of anyone coming to her aid. No one would hear her scream. What could she do to keep him away from her long enough to run toward the house and safety?

“G…good afternoon, my lord.” She darted her gaze around the garden. He’d come alone at least. There were no footmen to help him debauch her. That was something.

“I believe it will be a good one, my dear.” Smile widening, Danford started toward her, and Honoria backed away until the prick of a thorn from the rose bush behind her made her halt.

Nowhere else to retreat. So advance she must. “Lord Braeton has just returned to the house…oh, no, there he is.” Honoria made her face relax in relief and raised her voice. “Lord Braeton! I thought you had gone.”

At the hailing of her non-existent husband, Danford whirled around.

Honoria dodged to the left, leaped over the low hedge bordering the Celestial rose bed, and flew down the parallel pathway heading toward the garden entrance. Her own harsh panting in her ears, she dared not risk a glance over her shoulder to see how closely Danford was upon her heels. If she could just make it to the statue of the griffin just ahead perhaps—

An iron hand clamped down on her shoulder.

“No!” Honoria shrieked as she was pulled relentlessly backward until her back thumped against Lord Danford’s chest. Dislodged, the basket she’d been clutching tumbled to the ground.

“It’s a good thing I like a spirited partner in bed, my dear.” He chuckled as he snaked his arms around her until they rested beneath her breasts. “It would be a pity to have to stifle you while we took our pleasure together.”

“Let me go.” She brought her fisted hands down, pounding his upper thighs as hard as she could, but the attack had no effect. “My husband will kill you if you…harm me.”

“Your husband will never know what I have done or not done, my dear.” He slid his hands up to squeeze her breasts. “He won’t know a thing unless you tell him. So that will be up to you.”

“He will certainly know when he comes out here and finds you with me.” Honoria batted at his hands, but that only made him squeeze her harder, making her breasts ache. If only there was some chance that Thomas would arrive, but he’d only just left her. She couldn’t hope for rescue from him.

“Lord Braeton was far down the road heading for your neighbor’s estate when I saw him last, my dear. He won’t return for hours.” Danford set his lips against the nape of her neck, making her cringe. “We will have all the time in the world thanks to my little subterfuge.”

“What subterfuge?” A sudden dread seized Honoria, her already racing heart speeding faster.

“A letter purportedly from your neighbor to lure Braeton away from the house. And you.” He nuzzled her neck again. “Affording us time for at least one good bedding.” He raised his head and gazed about the garden. “And though we have beds aplenty here, I daresay they would be damned uncomfortable among those roses.”

“No!” If help could not come from her husband, then she must find a way to save herself. “Help! Help! Someone in the house. Help me!” Honoria screamed until her throat ached. She pulled at his arms, trying to free herself, but they merely tightened around her further.

“Shut up, harlot.” Shaking her like a terrier with a rat, Danford half dragged, half carried her to the stone bench beneath the statue of the griffin. He forced her onto the seat and plopped down beside her. “Scream again, and I’ll stuff your mouth so full you’ll choke.”

Terrified by the threat, though unsure what he planned to do, Honoria nevertheless opened her mouth again. “Help! Help me! Hel—”

Danford lunged at her, pressing her back against the cold stone, the full weight of his loathsome body on top of hers.

Lord, he was so heavy she couldn’t breathe. Opening her mouth to try to gulp in some air, Honoria was appalled when her tormentor took that as an invitation and clamped his lips over hers. Squealing, she tried in vain to push him off her, but he settled himself deeper and thrust his tongue into her mouth.

Gagging, Honoria thought she might die. She pummeled his back, but she might have saved her strength. She tried to roll them off the bench, but he was too heavy for her to move. God, what could she do?

He shifted his weight off her legs, and she hoped for a moment he was relenting, or coming to his senses. Instead, the sensation of cool air on her legs meant he was pushing up her skirts. Frantic, she twisted her head away sharply, finally breaking away from his wretched mouth. “Help! Somebody, help me!”

Face black with anger and lust, Danford raised his hand, and she closed her eyes bracing for the blow…that never came. Instead, he simply seemed to disappear.

Confused, Honoria opened her eyes to the clear blue of the June sky. Without his weight pressing her onto the hard stone, she sat up blinking, just in time to see Thomas heave Danford into the prickly Apothecary’s Rose bush. Relief so deep it seemed a palpable wave rushed through her. “Thomas!”

“Honoria.” Her husband reached her in two giant steps and swept her up into his arms. “Oh, my love.” He crushed her to him and whispered, “Did he harm you in any way?”

Even though the villain had hurt her, she understood what Thomas was asking and shook her head. “No, not like that. You arrived in time.”

“Thank God.” He brushed a kiss over her hair and clutched her even harder. “Had I not, this moment I’d be fetching my pistol and putting an end to that monster. As it is…” He turned to stare at Lord Danford screeching and cursing as he tried to extricate himself from the rose bush, the myriad thorns pricking and tearing at him. “Excuse me, my dear.” Thomas let her go—he seemed to struggle with it, but finally released her—and strode over to the rose bush Lord Danford seemed to be crushing. “Allow me, Danford.”

“What the devil do you want?” Danford stopped moving to glare up at Thomas.

“To give you a helping hand, of course.” With the suddenness of a striking snake, Thomas darted his gloved hand into the thicket of branches, grasped the neck of Danford’s jacket, and jerked the earl up. “There you go.”

A blood-curdling scream as Danford’s flesh tore, then he was standing shakily on the paved path, oozing blood from a dozen scratches on his face.

Thomas glanced at the Apothecary Rose bush, which seemed to be springing back into its original shape. Only a couple of branches appeared to be crushed. “Not much harm done, fortunately. I’d hate to have to make you pay for the rose bush, too.”

Face darkened with an ugly scowl, Danford steadied himself, then raked Thomas with a venomous glare. “You’re the one who will pay for that outrage, Braeton.”

“I beg to differ, Danford.” Thomas stood calmly, pulling off his riding glove one finger at a time. When he finished, he balled the glove in his hand, scowled at Danford, and flung the glove in his face. It bounced off Danford’s nose and fell to the ground, tiny spots of blood staining the leather.

Honoria stood silent and horrified. She understood that Thomas would wish to punish Lord Danford for his assault on her, but she’d not considered her husband would actually challenge him to a duel.

Thomas curled his lips into a sneer. “Pick it up if you dare, my lord.”

Stunned, Lord Danford paused for a moment, as if considering Thomas’s words. Would he let the glove remain on the ground and be branded a coward?

Honoria found herself hoping that very thing. She wasn’t certain how brave Danford actually was, but she assumed every man had been taught to shoot. Therefore, if he and Thomas did indeed duel, she would be in jeopardy of losing her husband at Lord Danford’s hand. She wanted badly to go to Thomas, to ask him not to do this just for her sake, but she remained where she stood. Instinctively, she understood that nothing would prevent Thomas from seeking satisfaction of Lord Danford. No argument she could make would matter to her husband, who it seemed was ready to die to defend her honor. Much as that horrified her, it also made her very proud, and more than a little in love with him.

After an impossibly long pause, Danford stooped and retrieved the glove. In honor, he could have done nothing else. A look of grim satisfaction spread over his face. “I dare, Braeton. I assure you, I dare.”

“Splendid.”

That single calm word, spoken with a depth of emotion she’d never heard from her husband before, set Honoria to shiver. This duel would happen then. Dear God, how was she to endure it?

Thomas continued, matter-of-factly. “As the challenged party, Danford, you have the choice of weapons. May I assume you will choose pistols?”

“Yes, of course.” Danford’s countenance had sobered remarkably. Honoria believed he was having some difficulty accepting that he was to shortly be facing her husband, weapon in hand.

“Very well.” Thomas seemed to take grim satisfaction in that, although, surely, he couldn’t have thought his opponent would have selected swords. “Shall we agree to discharge the matter here in the country?” When Danford didn’t answer immediately, Thomas raised an eyebrow. “So much more private here on my estate. But if you prefer to remove to London and the duck pond in Hyde Park, I shall meet you there.” His gaze bore into Danford’s face. “I promise you, I will meet you anywhere, anytime you choose. You have only to inform me.”

Danford shook his head. “My seconds are in London.”

“As are mine. It will take several days for them to journey here. Do you agree?”

Danford nodded.

“Good. Meanwhile, I can arrange for the dueling ground to be laid out and readied. You will require lodging until the day, I believe. The George and Dragon in Chichester is well-liked. You should find it comfortable enough.”

Chichester was almost ten miles away. Thomas was taking care that Lord Danford would be kept as far from her as possible.

Again, Danford nodded, although he seemed so distracted Honoria couldn’t swear he’d actually heard Thomas.

“I will write immediately to my seconds. They should arrive here the day after tomorrow. So, we will meet at dawn, the morning of the third day?” Calm and nonchalant, Thomas might have been discussing plans to dine with the earl. “At seven?”

Danford’s head bobbed up and down mechanically. He stared at Thomas with a curious expression on his face, part confusion, part disbelief. “I never thought…”

The planes of Thomas’s face hardened in an instant. “You’ve not thought for a moment since this entire affair began, Danford. You allowed your basest desires to rule your reason, with the result that we shall meet on the field of honor in three days’ time. At least your death will be honorable, though all your other actions have not been.”

Shaking his head, Danford’s brow was deeply furrowed. “I never believed you’d marry her. You’ve not known her long enough to have any affection for her. What is she to you that you would risk your life and mine for her honor?”

Honoria shrank back at the look of pure, black hatred Thomas shot at Danford. “She is my wife, Danford. How could you imagine for one single moment I would not avenge the insult you perpetrated upon myself and the lady I have the utmost privilege to call my wife? Your scurrilous question merely illustrates your utter lack of honor or human decency.” Thomas took a menacing step toward the baffled Danford. “I suggest you find your way out of my garden and off my property, post haste , unless you wish for me to have you bodily removed by my largest footmen.”

As if coming to his senses, Lord Danford drew himself up to his full height, turned, and shuffled down the pathway as quickly as he could. Still, it took several minutes for him to reach the far entrance and disappear from sight.

When he did so, Honoria exhaled the breath she’d been holding and looked toward Thomas. Her heart held so much love for this man, she could scarcely take it in. All she wanted was to make him truly proud that she was his wife. Like he’d just said to Danford. And pray God, once this wretched duel was over with, they would have all the rest of their years together to prove that love to the whole wide world.