“I daresay there will be no duel now. We have enough leverage over him to render him powerless.”
That gave her pause. “What do you mean?”
“Deering has violated our gentleman’s code of honor with a vengeance, and we have incontrovertible proof from his own servants. He won’t be able to cover up his machinations now.”
When she looked skeptical and unmollified, Ash adopted a conciliatory tone. “Thank you for coming to my rescue, love. I gather you followed me to the stables to prevent me from leaving—”
“I did indeed,” she agreed. “I saw you heading there from my bedchamber window, so I threw my cloak on over my clothes and brought my pistol in case you had already left and I had to trail you to the duel.”
“Well, I am very glad you came along when you did, since I’m not certain I could have managed to defeat Deering’s lackeys on my own.” Ash let his mouth curve into a grin. “I would say that you and I make a good team.”
Maura was having none of his pacifying, however. “How can you be so nonchalant? You could have died!”
“In truth, I am far from nonchalant. You were remarkably brave, but seeing that brute come after you took ten years off my life.”
“How do you think I felt, seeing them attacking you so viciously?” Maura demanded.
“I don’t know. How did you feel, love?”
“I wanted to hit you myself. I was right to be worried about you, Ash—and I was right not to trust you. You snuck out without even a farewell. I told you I do not want you risking your life for me!”
She looked incredibly beautiful and fierce just then, and Ash couldn’t help but feel gratified by her anger on his behalf. Not even his physical discomfort could subdue his high spirits. Although his jaw and ribs ached from the blows he’d taken, and his knuckles were raw from the blows he’d given, not to mention nearly having his head bashed in, Ash only felt elation.
And Maura’s fierce protectiveness was the cause.
She had the same reckless attitude as he, putting his safety above her own. Her pluckiness, her courage to overcome great odds all on her own, had always impressed him, as did her determination to fight for what she believed in. She was passionate and opinionated and tart-tongued and sometimes even violent … and she was so very, very dear to him.
She had proven herself his match in every way, and Ash knew only one manner to express his feelings for her: Take Maura in his arms and soothe her anger with his lips.
Maura’s fear subsided as Ash’s strong arms closed around her. She’d been deathly afraid, seeing him set upon by a pack of savage brutes. Now her overwhelming relief that he’d escaped serious injury was buoyed by the fervent hope that he would not have to duel.
And admittedly, she felt awed by how masterfully he had dispatched his assailants. In all likelihood, Ash hadn’t even needed her intervention, despite his avowals to the contrary. When his kiss ended, Maura sighed and laid her head on his shoulder, signaling her surrender.
As Ash gently stroked her hair—which she’d had no time to pin up—she listened as he speculated on what had driven the assault. “Deering is a coward at heart, so it makes sense that he would try to engineer my forfeit. But he would gain in another way if I failed to meet him. I would be as much as admitting that I cheated during our card game. At least I now understand something that has puzzled me—why he would name Pelham as his second. He wanted a peer with an impeccable reputation to bear witness when I didn’t appear this morning. But having Pelham there should work to our advantage now.”
Shifting her head, Maura glanced up at Ash. “How so?”
His mouth curved faintly. “I don’t know if I should tell you, love. You won’t like my plan.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“When we arrive, I will act as though I mean to go through with the duel.”
When she started to object, Ash pressed a finger to her lips. “I am asking you to trust me once more, Maura.”
She searched his face, finding no sign of prevarication or smugness, merely tenderness and unshakable resolve. “Very well,” she agreed, reluctantly swallowing her reservations.
Some quarter hour later the coach slowed and turned off the road onto a green field that was damp with mist.
The other primary participants were already present. In addition to Viscount Deering, Maura spied Ash’s cousin, the Earl of Traherne, standing next to a distinguished elderly gentleman whom she recognized as Lord Pelham from the incident in the park last week, when Deering had cruelly beaten her stallion.
Ash’s coach halted near the other carriages. Upon handing Maura down, he called her attention to the small crowd of spectators on the hillside overlooking the field.
“We have an audience,” Ash said dryly. “No doubt they are taking bets on the outcome of our duel.”
Maura shuddered at such morbid curiosity, but respond
ed tartly to his observation. “What did you expect when duels attract such notoriety? You brazenly announced your intentions to the entire gaming club last night. By now most of London knows about your affair of honor being settled over pistols.”