Page 49 of Surrender

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Theo glowered at the dance floor in Lexington Place as he watched the fourth son of the Earl and Countess of Lexington, George Gedney, spin Genevieve around the dance floor. It had been two weeks since that night in the safe house, and he’d failed to get Genevieve alone with a frustrating consistency every time.

Even when the family was gathered for dinner together, she’d avoided him as if he were a pariah. She’d also not entered the East End with him as one of her backup partners since the night she’d left him standing alone in her room at the safe house. Jamie had been in the parlor when Theo had tried to catch Genevieve before she left. Failing to stop her, he returned to the house. When his cousin had asked what had happened, Theo had refused to discuss the matter.

A few days later, Jamie had informed Theo that at Genevieve’s request, she would be working with Vincent and Teasdale in the East End. Theo’s muscles tightened at the thought of her going into that hellhole without him as her backup. Not that he didn’t trust Vincent to protect her, but he wanted to be the one standing guard over her.

Theo’s gaze returned to the dance floor to see Gedney smiling down at Genevieve as they danced their way in and out of other dancers. Theo muttered an oath beneath his breath at the way the man was fawning over her. Even worse was the way Genevieve was laughing at everything the man said. When the music ended a moment later, Gedney guided Genevieve over to where the Earl and Countess of Lexington stood.

Theo hadn’t enjoyed watching the man dancing and flirting with Genevieve. Now, as he saw the smiles on the older couple’s faces, his mood became even more sour. Two days ago, Vincent had mentioned that Gedney had been paying a great deal of attention to Genevieve. According to his cousin, the man had become a regular caller at Chester Square, his aunt’s and uncle’s London residence.

Like others in the family, his cousin suspected or knew of Theo’s feelings for Genevieve. One night last week at their townhouse in Warwick Square, he, Jamie, Harry, Angus, and Vincent were enjoying a bottle of cognac Jamie had pilfered from Uncle Lucien’s cellar. Harry had been paying a great deal of attention to a young woman in recent weeks, and somewhat drunk, they’d all been affectionately poking fun at their cousin with jokes about him being the next Rockwood to marry.

It had been the perfect segue for Vincent to mention Gedney’s multiple visits to Uncle Percy’s and Aunt Rhea’s house in Chester Square, before moving on to a different topic without missing a beat. The fact that Gedney was the rector for his father’s parish made it more than possible that the man would be able to overlook Genevieve’s past, seeing it as a sin on Ruckley’s part with her the victim.

Theo’s attention returned to Genevieve, and he saw Lord Lexington laugh heartily at something she said, while Lady Lexington beamed with delight. It was clear the older couple and Gedney were enthralled by Genevieve’s company. The thought of Genevieve marrying any man made Theo’s gut twist into a painful knot.

Not that he believed she would accept any offer of marriage given her past, but he wasn’t about to risk being wrong. The question was how to convince her that nothing in her past mattered when it came to his feelings for her and his desire to make her his wife. Genevieve was laughing at something Lord Lexington said, when a tall, dark-haired man appeared at her side. With a small bow, he said something as he held out his hand.

Tension knotted Theo’s muscles. He’d never seen the man before, and he noticed Genevieve hesitated for a fraction of a second before she smiled and accepted the stranger’s hand. The man was a skilled dancer, and knowing how much Genevieve loved to dance, Theo wasn’t surprised to see she was enjoying herself. It didn’t make him any less irritable about her dancing with the man, but at least it wasn’t Gedney. Theo glanced over at the earl’s son and experienced a moment of intense satisfaction at the scowl on the man’s face.

“I see Genevieve is adding to her long string of admirers.”

Theo jumped as he jerked his head toward Vincent Rockwood, who had appeared at his side. Older than him, Vincent was the quiet one in the family. Although he could be quite amicable, there was a darkness to his cousin’s personality. Theo had seen it in action when he and Vincent had encountered an East Ender looking for an easy mark.

Having grown up in the slums of the East End, Vincent knew how to fight dirty if necessary, and he was exceptionally good with a knife. As if the slums hadn’t been enough of a trial for his cousin, Vincent had been thrown from his horse a few years ago, taking a severe blow to his head. Knocked unconscious, his cousin had awoken the next day to find himself almost completely deaf. Although his speech was unaffected, Vincent’s hearing loss was substantial, which the doctors said would most likely worsen as he aged until he could hear nothing at all.

For the moment, his cousin’s hearing in quiet environments allowed him to hear someone if they spoke loud enough. But in crowds such as this, his hearing was non-existent. Despite the stigma of using sign language in public by the Marlborough Set, the entire family had learned how to use sign language with discretion to make it easier to communicate with his cousin. Theo glanced at Genevieve on the dance floor, then turned back to Vincent.

“I don’t recognize him. Do you?” Theo signed the question, and his cousin nodded. Bending his head slightly, Vincent murmured.

“Fielding said he’s the Duke of Mowbray’s nephew, and goes by the name Arthur Warrington. But by all accounts, gossip says he’s the Duke’s bastard grandson. ”

“Grandson,” Theo exclaimed softly, before remembering it was unlikely Vincent could have heard him in the noisy ballroom, and repeated himself in sign language. Vincent’s brow furrowed with worry as he nodded.

Tension tightened Theo’s muscles. Alarmed, Theo jerked his head toward the dance floor. The Duke had ruined a number of young women in his prime. If Warrington was anything like his grandfather, no unmarried woman was safe. Even though all the male members of the family stood guard over Genevieve and the other unmarried women in the family at events, there were still a number of disreputable men whose attention could do harm to their reputation.

Theo knew Genevieve was more than capable of avoiding any appearance of impropriety when in polite Society. But if Warrington was wily enough, he might take Genevieve by surprise. His gaze searched the crowd of dancers, and his heart slammed into his chest when he didn’t see her. As if aware of Theo’s concern, Vincent nudged him a few seconds later.

“There she is.”

His cousin bobbed his head toward one side of the dance floor where Theo caught sight of Warrington guiding Genevieve around the floor. Relieved, he relaxed slightly.

“If the man is anything like his grandfather, we don’t want to let him create any appearance of impropriety where Genevieve’s reputation is concerned. She might be able to take care of herself, but Ansbach caught her by surprise a few weeks ago,” Theo signed.

“Agreed. It’s my fault I didn’t escort her out onto the patio that night,” Vincent said with more than a hint of remorse and frustration.

“You’re not to blame for Ansbach’s behavior, and we all know how persuasive and stubborn Genevieve can be.” Theo met his cousin’s gaze steadily. A look of gratitude swept across Vincent’s face as Theo gave his cousin a gentle, reassuring pat on the back.

“Jamie and Charles are here tonight. I’ll find them and sound the alarm as to the potential threat Warrington poses to Genevieve and other ladies in the family.”

“While you’re doing that, I’ll see to it our willful cousin knows Warrington might prove to be more dangerous than her other admirers.”

The moment Theo finished signing his reply, Vincent bobbed his head and one corner of his mouth tipped upward.

“I don’t envy you that task. She’s been hell bent on avoiding you for the past couple of weeks, and when she is forced to speak with you, it’s like a winter day at Callander Abbey,” Vincent murmured with a hint of speculation in his voice. “I’ve no idea what happened between the two of you, but good luck getting her to even listen to you.”

With that final observation, Vincent turned away and set out to find their cousins. The music rose toward a rousing finish, and Theo made his way to the edge of the dance floor, timing it so he could claim Genevieve as his partner for the next song.