Chapter Twenty #2
The scent of blooming lilac and something sweeter—perhaps the honey fragrance of hawthorn blossoms, or the heady perfume of early wisteria—met him as he stepped outside.
But there was something else underneath it, something that made his skin crawl.
The metallic taste of fear, sharp and wrong in the crisp spring air.
The terrace was a marvel of stone and wrought iron, filled with hardy plants that thrived in London’s unpredictable climate.
Moonlight streamed across the flagstone, painting everything in shades of silver and shadow.
Bare branches of climbing roses rustled softly against their supports, and somewhere water trickled from a small fountain designed to look like a natural spring.
But all James could see was Julian.
He had her backed against a marble pedestal that held a particularly prized orchid, its white blooms seeming to glow in the darkness.
One hand was braced near her shoulder, his body angled to trap her against the cold stone.
He was leaning in too close, his voice a silken threat that carried easily in the humid air.
“I’ve been patient long enough,” Julian whispered, his breath stirring the delicate curls that had escaped her coiffure.
“You can’t keep running from what we both know is inevitable.
I’ve already sacrificed everything for you—do you think I care about Thomas’s reputation?
About the title? I’d burn it all down to have you.
You’re mine, Georgiana. You always have been. ”
Georgiana’s face was pale as porcelain, her eyes wide with terror that made James’s hands clench into fists. She was pressed as far back against the pedestal as she could manage, her entire body rigid with revulsion.
“Please,” she whispered, so quietly James almost missed it. “Someone will see us. Let me go.”
“No one is coming.” Julian’s free hand reached toward her face. She turned her head sharply to avoid his touch. “They’re all too busy with your sister’s little performance. We finally have time to settle this properly.”
James didn’t think. He moved.
The sound of his footsteps on the terrace’s stone floor made them both turn. Relief flooded Georgiana’s features. Julian’s expression shifted to cold calculation, as if James were nothing more than an inconvenient interruption.
“Step away from her.” James’s voice cut through the night air like a blade.
Julian turned with deliberate slowness, his hand remaining braced against the pedestal, still caging Georgiana. “Lord Ashford. How tediously predictable.” His smile was razor-sharp. “This is a private conversation. You’re not needed here.”
James stepped forward, using his height and breadth to force Julian back. “She said no. That’s all I need to hear.”
“Did she?” Julian’s mask slipped, revealing something predatory underneath. “You don’t know her like I do. She’s always wanted me—the way she used to look at me when Robert wasn’t watching. She’s trembling with need right now.”
Rage coursed through his veins, not because he believed his revolting words, but because he could see Georgiana flinch as if she’d been struck. She was indeed trembling—but with disgust and fear.
James’s fist connected with Julian’s jaw before conscious thought could intervene.
The crack echoed across the terrace as Julian staggered backward, crashing into the stone wall.
A delicate orchid teetered on its stand before toppling, shattering against the flagstones in a shower of soil and ceramic.
For a moment, the only sounds were Georgiana’s sharp intake of breath and the distant tinkle of the fountain. James stood over Julian, every muscle coiled for further violence, while Julian slowly straightened, dabbing at the blood on his lip with a silk handkerchief.
“You think you’ve won something here?” Julian said softly, his voice deadly calm. “I have nothing left to lose now. My brother’s secrets, her husband’s secrets—I’ll destroy them all if I can’t have her. At least then we’ll be ruined together.”
“Try it.” James reached for Georgiana’s hand. She took it immediately, her fingers ice-cold and trembling.
Julian’s eyes glittered with malicious satisfaction. “Actually, I think I’ll start with her reputation. Did you know about her husband’s little proclivities? How easily a few whispers could destroy what’s left of her standing in Society?”
The threat hung in the air like a poison cloud.
James felt Georgiana’s grip tighten on his hand, saw the terror that flashed across her features.
Footsteps echoed from the corridor—voices, drawn by the crash.
This was a disaster. If the guests found Georgiana in a compromising position, it would destroy everything.
Her reputation, Cecily’s prospects, all of it.
Lady Alderidge appeared first, her face a mask of controlled fury at having her perfect evening disrupted. Behind her came a handful of other guests, their eyes bright with curiosity and scandal-hunger.
In that split second, James made a choice that would change everything.
“There’s no cause for concern.” He managed to speak with absolute authority. “Mrs. Fairfax is my fiancée. I was defending her honor from an unwelcome advance.”
The words hung in the sudden silence. James felt his heart hammering against his ribs as gasps rippled through the small crowd. Beside him, Georgiana went very still.
Julian laughed, the sound harsh as breaking glass. “Lies. If that were true, why wouldn’t it be known? She belongs to—”
“She agreed to marry me just tonight,” James interrupted, his voice gentling as he looked at Georgiana. This was the greatest gamble of his life, but seeing her cornered, terrified, had made the choice for him. “Making me the happiest man alive.”
The silence stretched taut as a bowstring. Georgiana stared up at him, her eyes searching his face as if trying to read his soul. He willed her to see the truth there—that this wasn’t just a lie to save her reputation. That he meant every word.
“Yes,” she said finally, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. “It is I who am made happy. Happier than I ever thought possible.”
The murmur that rose from the crowd was like the buzzing of disturbed bees. James heard Lady Alderidge’s sharp intake of breath, saw other guests exchanging meaningful looks that would fuel gossip for weeks.
A blur of pale blue silk burst through the doors as Cecily appeared, her face white with panic. “Georgiana! What happened?” Her gaze took in Julian’s bloodied lip, James’s protective stance, her sister’s pale complexion.
“Everything’s all right now.” Georgiana’s voice shook slightly. “James was… defending my honor.”
“As we have become engaged just this evening,” James said, hoping Cecily would quickly understand.
Cecily’s eyes sharpened with just that. She looked between her sister and James, then smiled with surprising composure.
“Of course he was. Though I suppose the secret’s out now.
” She turned to address the curious crowd.
“As Lord Ashford said, they’ve only just become engaged.
We hadn’t planned to announce it so dramatically. ”
Lavinia materialized behind Cecily like an avenging angel, resplendent in violet feathers and barely contained excitement. “Engaged? Did I hear you correctly?” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Is it true?”
Lady Alderidge nodded approvingly. “Lord Ashford was defending his fiancée’s honor from that dreadful man.” She gestured toward Julian like he was something meant for the rubbish bin.
Lavinia paused, then drew herself up with sudden dignity, as if remembering her role.
“Well, of course. I knew this would happen eventually. A mother always knows these things. Lord Ashford is a true gentleman. Worthy of my eldest daughter, just as I have foreseen all along.” Lavinia spoke with a growing confidence, smoothing her skirt.
“I told Georgiana from the very beginning that Lord Ashford was clearly smitten.”
“As you say, mothers always know,” Lady Alderidge said, sharing a smile with Lavinia.
Before the situation could spiral further into further theatrics, Lady Alderidge gestured to her butler, who had appeared as if summoned. “Please escort Mr. Fane to his carriage. He is no longer welcome in this house.”
Julian straightened his cravat with deliberate care, his eyes never leaving Georgiana’s face. “This isn’t over. Enjoy your little charade. But we both know the truth.”
As the butler firmly guided Julian away, his parting look promised retribution that made Georgiana shrink closer to James’s side.
Once Julian disappeared into the corridor, an awkward silence fell. The other guests stood uncertainly, clearly torn between returning to the party and lingering for more drama.
“Perhaps we should return to the drawing room,” Lady Alderidge suggested with pointed diplomacy. “I believe congratulations are in order, but this evening has been quite eventful enough.”
As the small crowd began to disperse, murmuring excitedly among themselves, James found himself alone with Georgiana, Cecily, and Lavinia on the moonlit terrace.
Lavinia’s voice was trembling with emotion, “Well, this is certainly not how I imagined the evening would unfold. But I could not be more thrilled to welcome Lord Ashford into our family. I should open a matchmaking business. I have such a keen eye for these things.”
Georgiana shot her mother a look that could have frozen flame, but Lavinia was too overcome with joy to notice.
“We should go back inside,” Georgiana said quietly, her composure beginning to crack. “People will talk if we linger.”
“Let them talk,” Cecily said fiercely, linking arms with her sister. “Let them talk about how Lord Ashford protected you and how happy you’ll be together.”
As they walked back toward the house, James caught Georgiana’s eye. The question he couldn’t ask aloud hung between them: Was any of it real? Do you want this? Or have I just trapped us both in an elaborate lie?
Her answering look was unreadable, a mixture of gratitude, confusion, and something that might have been hope.
God help him, he prayed it was hope.