Chapter One
“Iam giving you one chance, Lord Nittinghill; think carefully before you do something you regret.” A cold voice carried towards Lady Lydia Babington, turning her blood to ice.
It was past midnight as she hurtled through Hyde Park. The shadows cast by the moonlight gave the place an ominous nature that only added to her mounting nerves. Lydia searched desperately for any sign of her brother, Landon Babington, Earl of Nittinghill.
“I did not have you pegged for a coward, Your Grace. Are you reneging on our duel?” Lydia heard the quaver in her brother’s voice even as he put on an air of teenage bravado.
Curse every teenage boy and the foolishness that comes with it.Lydia hurtled in the direction of the voices, the thundering of her footsteps making their conversation barely audible. Lydia’s heart raced, her chest felt like it might explode but she dared not stop.
“Do not test me, little Lordling. I have excused your insolence thus far because of your youth, but my patience has limits.” Lydia heard the threat in the man’s voice. “If you are foolish enough to throw your life away, so be it.”
She caught sight of two figures in the distance. One was the familiar silhouette of her brother. The other belonged to the stranger who stood a head and shoulders taller than Landon and was easily twice as broad.
“Ten paces should do it.” Landon’s voice carried towards her.
No!There was no air in Lydia’s lungs to scream, to shout out to the men and stop them. Panic filled her, renewing her energy as she ran towards them. The thundering of her heart and the sound of her own breathing drowned out most of the counting.
“Seven.” It was Landon’s voice.
The men were ten yards away. She could see them moving apart, their coat tails swaying in the wind.
“Eight.”
Come on Lydia.She could see the shaking in her brother’s steps. Her heart screamed, but she could not stop.
“Nine.”
She was not going to make it. She was not going to get there in time.
“Ten.”
The men turned around, pistols raised, fingers on the triggers. Lydia lunged forwards, throwing herself between them. An ear splitting ‘bang’ rang out as the guns fired. She felt something brush against the fabric of her dress, and then she hit the ground.
“Lydia!” Landon screamed. “No!”
Lydia’s head spun, but she could not feel any pain.Am I dead?She felt someone grab her arm, the scent of spices and pine filling her nostrils as she was pulled to her feet. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the face of a stranger, his eyes dancing in the moonlight
His jaw was tight with anger, the soft curls of his hair highlighted the harsh angles of his face. Lydia could not tell what color his eyes were, only that they seemed to pin her to the spot like an insect on display.
“What were you thinking?” His eyes roved across her body, and his gaze felt like a physical touch. “You could have been killed!”
Lydia shook her head, breathing hard, struggling to find the air to get words out. The only thing that hurt was her side where shehad landed on the ground, but there was no blood. She felt oddly giddy.
“I wasn’t thinking.” She felt her body, aware that the stranger was still holding her up.
“Clearly.” The man shook his head. “You do not seem to be bleeding. You were not hit.”
“I have never been so thankful for terrible marksmanship.”
“Nor I,” the stranger replied, and Lydia realized she had spoken her thoughts aloud. “In future, you would do well not to gamble on such a thing.”
“I had not really planned on making a habit of throwing myself between duelists.” The giddiness mingled with the panic, and Lydia’s answer surprised herself.
“Get away from my sister!” Lydia felt her brother beside her as the stranger released her, his eyes widening for a moment before he stepped into shadow.
“It seems foolishness runs in the family.” The corner of the man’s lips quirked upwards as Landon pulled Lydia away.
“What in Heaven’s name are you doing? Leave here at once.” Landon gestured back in the direction Lydia had come. “This is between me and Duke Dashings.”
