Chapter 36
Kalina
As always, Lady Astrid had the most unusual friends.
Lady Durham and Mrs. Browne were both stunningly beautiful, the former as light in hair and eyes as the latter was dark.
Lady Durham’s mask was gold, while Mrs. Browne’s was midnight black.
Both of them eyed her with speculation as she was introduced.
“We can speak freely in front of Kalina,” Lady Astrid assured the other two women, with a quick glance at the gentlemen to assure herself that they were preoccupied.
Durham and Nathanial had their heads together, and Captain Browne had been drawn into conversation with one of the gentlemen beside him. “She is in this, too.”
“In what?” Kalina asked, trying not to feel suddenly adrift. She did not want to be cast out of whatever she was, but she also had no idea what Lady Astrid was speaking of.
“Astrid thinks someone murdered the tragic dukes’ fathers,” Lady Durham said, keeping her voice low. “The investigations Evie and her husband did into the matter came back inconclusive, and Evie is not yet convinced that Astrid has it aright.”
“I am slowly becoming more so,” Mrs. Browne interjected, frowning.
“It is difficult because, as usual, the men are trying to keep the ladies out of things. Not my husband, of course, but I assume yours has told you nothing about the possibility that the hunting lodge accident in which his father was killed may have been no accident?”
Kalina’s head was reeling, and it was all she could do not to allow her shock to show on her face. Once again, long years of keeping a neutral expression regardless of the provocation came to her rescue.
It took her a moment to find her voice.
“He has not.”
All three women snorted.
“I told you, they are trying to keep us out of it,” Astrid said, rolling her eyes. “All except Gregory, which is the only reason I know about Montblanc, thanks to Tiffany. At least one of the men is being sensible.”
“Well, they are married,” Lady Durham pointed out. “Perhaps Drake will be more reasonable after your wedding.” Even as she said the words, it was clear she did not believe them, and Astrid snorted in response.
“Obviously, it did not change Nathanial since he has failed to inform Kalina. Men.” Astrid’s dismissive tone made her opinion very clear.
“He has not told his sisters,” Kalina said, feeling she could be certain of that. “They would have told me. I think. I am not sure he would have—our marriage did not come about in the usual manner.”
“I have already informed them,” Astrid reassured her with a wave of her hand, though she frowned at Kalina. “Does he still believe you had a part in trapping him?”
“I am… not sure.” She had not said so outright. Neither had he. Since the change in his demeanor toward her, she’d been almost afraid to bring it up again. If she insisted on her innocence, he might become angry if he thought she continued to lie.
With things going well now, there seemed no reason to bring it up again.
Astrid shook her head.
“The two of you need to communicate.”
“That’s a bit calling the kettle black, is it not?” Mrs. Browne asked, arching a dark eyebrow at Astrid, who glared at her.
“Drake and I are hardly going to get along better by communicating more. What is he going to talk to me about? How many women he’s seduced this week?
” Lady Astrid shook her head, reaching up to brush a fiery curl away from her face.
“No matter. What’s important is the dukes.
” She turned her attention back to Kalina.
“We still do not know why they were murdered—”
“If they were murdered,” Mrs. Browne murmured.
“Which means we cannot be certain the current generation is not also in danger and possibly ourselves as well since we’re intended to carry the next generation,” Lady Astrid finished, with another sharp glance at Mrs. Browne.
Kalina’s hands immediately went to her stomach as she took a sharp intake of breath.
Mrs. Browne sighed.
“It is better to be safe than to be sorry in this instance. And, to be truthful, I am mostly put out that Anthony and I missed something in our investigation.” She glanced at her husband, who was still turned away in conversation.
“One thing I do believe we can be certain of is that it was not a foreign plot, unlike the attempt on the Duke of York’s life not so long ago.
In fact…” Her voice trailed off as she gestured to someone.
They must have been close by in order to be able to see her in the crush.
Proving Kalina’s thought true, a moment later, a young, handsome man appeared at her elbow, grinning broadly.
He was well turned out, every inch of him impeccably pressed, yet somehow he gave off an air of casualness that made one feel immediately comfortable with him.
The mask of bright green over the upper half of his face obscured his forehead, but showed off his eyes to perfection, as they were the exact same shade as the gaudy accessory.
“This is my cousin, Adam Stuart. Adam, you remember Lady Astrid, and this is the Duchess of Hereford.”
“Ladies.” Still grinning, the man gave an elegant bow, despite the lack of space to truly do so.
It turned out that the young Mr. Stuart had recently been overseas, and he quickly confirmed for his cousin that there was nothing on the continent to suggest that anyone there had anything to do with the tragedy.
He also mentioned that there was no sign the Russians had their fingers in English pies again.
Kalina could only infer that meant the previous attempt on the Duke of York’s life had been by them.
Her jaw felt locked into place to keep it from dropping as revelation after revelation was dropped in front of her.
When Lady Astrid had assured them they could speak freely in front of her, they had certainly taken her at her word.
Kalina had had no idea there had ever been an attempt on the Duke of York’s life, much less the rest of it.
She was uncertain why Mrs. Browne and her husband had been investigating anything, much less why she took her cousin’s word about an entire continent, but Lady Astrid seemed to take their statements as fact.
Kalina decided she could do no less. At least for now.
She may have questions later, but this was clearly not the time.
Turning to her, the young Mr. Stuart gave her his best smile.
He was charming enough that Kalina found the corners of her lips lifting automatically in response.
She would not have been able to help herself, even if she had wanted to hold back a smile—which she had no reason to currently—but she recognized his charisma.
“You were born in India, correct, Your Grace?”
“I was. My family came here recently, not long before the start of the Season.”
Immediately, his eyes lit up with interest.
“I have always wanted to visit India. Is it true there are entire seasons with nothing but rain?”
“That does not sound so different from London some weeks,” Lady Durham quipped with a smile.
Kalina laughed, but Mr. Stuart shook his head with all intent seriousness.
“No, Josie, it’s completely different.”
“I know, Adam, I am only jesting.” She did not seem to take affront, patting her brother-in-law on the arm with a fond look for him before turning to Kalina.
“Adam is an intrepid explorer these days. Given the chance, he will certainly talk your ear off about both India and the trip from there to here.”
The roguish smile was back, and he bestowed it intently upon Kalina. “I certainly will.”
Indeed, he was able to pepper her with several questions before her husband suddenly appeared at her side, scowling for some reason.
Immediately, Kalina was concerned. Had his talk with the earl not gone well?
Yet the earl had rejoined them as well. He was not smiling, but the fond way he was looking at his wife before he whispered something in her ear did not indicate any unhappiness on his end.
Taking her hand in his, Nathanial wound her fingers around his arm, glaring at Durham’s younger brother as he did so.
“Stuart.”
Mr. Stuart’s dark eyes danced with amusement.
“Hereford. I understand congratulations are in order.” He winked at Kalina, unfazed by Nathanial’s deepening scowl.
Kalina was not certain she understood what was happening.
Her husband seemed… jealous?
But in order to be jealous, he would have to care about her.
Wouldn’t he?
“Thank you, Stuart. Now, if you’ll excuse us,” he put a little emphasis on the ‘us’ just as the first notes from a violin trembled through the air, “I believe this is my dance with my wife.”
No, she was not imagining it. Not jealous though. Possessiveness. And maybe a touch of jealousy.
Because she’d been talking to another man?
Kalina did not have time to think, did not have time to question it before she found herself being pulled through the crowd by her husband.
The dance floor was also crowded, elbow to elbow, but somehow he stepped into the swirling mass, making a space for them without stepping on anyone’s toes and pulling her along with him.
Breathless, Kalina found herself rotating in his arms.
Which was when she realized what they were dancing.
“The waltz! I’m not…” She was not supposed to waltz in London... when she was a debutante. But she was married now. And waltzing with her husband. Kalina relaxed. No one had told her explicitly, but it made sense that she would not need permission from the Almack’s hostesses to waltz now.
She was not doing anything wrong that could hurt the family’s standing.
Nathanial
Looking down at his wife, Nathanial wished her pink mask did not obscure so much of her face. It was difficult to decipher the expressions flashing across her face when he could not see half of it.
She was not… what?
And then she’d halted. Relaxed. Stopped trying to pull away from him.
Was she thinking about Adam Stuart?
Or was she thinking that she was not supposed to dance with Nathanial since they were pretending to have a warm relationship?
Did he dare ask?
Did he want to know the answer?
Twirling her across the dance floor, he relaxed now that she had, too.
He did not want to ruin the dance. Instead, he let go of his questions and let the music flow over them, through them, carrying them in an intimate bubble across the crowded floor.
It did not matter how many people there were around them, it was though everyone else did not exist.
It was just him and his wife and the music.
When it ended, he could feel his heart pounding as he stared down at her. The urge to lower his mouth to hers was strong… but even with the masks, that would cause a serious amount of gossip. It was not done. Especially between a wife and a husband.
If he threw such niceties out the window, he might as well declare his feelings right here in the middle of the Camden ballroom.
And he was not ready to do that. Not when he felt so unsure how she felt about him.
Considering that she’d trapped him into marriage, making such a declaration would put him in a very vulnerable position. Again.
Too vulnerable.
Clearing his throat, he stepped away, taking her hand in his.
“Thank you for the dance, my dear.” It felt formal. Too formal. It broke the spell the music had woven around them. Her smile changed, just a touch. Most people might not even notice, but he did.
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
He frowned down at her. He had not meant to make things that formal. She was his wife. She should use his name.
“Nathanial,” he corrected her in a low tone. Thankfully, no one around them was paying attention to their conversation, so they could not hear him insisting his wife call him by his given name.
Dark eyes blinked at him through the mask.
“Nathanial,” she repeated on a husky whisper that made him want to drag her from the ballroom and do utterly indecent things to her.
He had half a mind to do just that, but when he turned, he found his intentions thwarted.
His blood ran hot and then cold as he stared at the man in front of him, the man he had not seen since the house party, since the wedding.
Since Mr. Little had trapped Nathanial into marriage.
Mrs. Little was on his arm, though her gaze was completely focused on Kalina.
The rage and resentment he’d managed to beat down in regard to his wife rose up inside him again, and he stiffened, going straight as a poker. Beside him, he could feel his wife’s reaction.
“Mama. Papa.” Kalina stepped forward to greet first her mother, then her father. Nathanial nodded at both of them, feeling as though his muscles might creak from the effort.
“We heard you were here and wanted to come say hello,” Mrs. Little said, her gaze now going back and forth between Nathanial and Kalina.
He had no problem with her, other than the man she’d married.
Unlike her husband, her shock and horror had been entirely authentic—and Nathanial had seen the anger she’d directed at the man in the wake of that awful morning.
She’d had no such thing for her daughter, but Nathanial could hardly blame her for that.
Indeed, he realized now, after having had more time to get to know his wife, it was very likely Mr. Little had a heavy influence over his daughter.
Kalina wanted to make the people around her happy, always.
In many ways, one could call her easily led.
Which was why Nathanial had been able to forgive her so easily, he now realized.
Not only because he’d seen her true remorse, but because the more he’d come to know her, the more he’d been able to see how she might have been led down a path she would not have normally gone in order to please her father.
Kalina was no manipulative mastermind, but she was someone who would do anything for a person she was loyal to.
For someone she loved.
I want her to be that way with me.
The revelations punched him in the gut, and he was not sure he would have had them without being faced with the actual mastermind of the plot behind his wedding.
The resentment over not being able to be truly angry, considering that he’d gotten everything he could have wanted in a bride, bubbled up inside him again, making him clench his jaw.
His wife and her mother exchanged their news while he and her father eyed each other warily.
Not the most enjoyable first encounter post-wedding but not altogether bad.
And when he and his wife returned home, he took out some of his frustration by having her grip the spindles of her headboard until he’d wrung three orgasms from her with his mouth and his fingers before plunging between her thighs and driving her to a fourth climax with one finger deeply embedded in the ass he fully intended on claiming soon.