Page 85 of Scandal’s Daughter

With horror they listened as she revealed in a halting voice her terrifying encounter with the baron.

“I’ll kill him,” Sebastian raged. “How dare he lay his hands on you, the bastard!”

“No,” Falmouth said, his eyes dark. “You’ll not kill him. We’ve already got the possibility of one body to account for. I’ll not willingly add another.”

“Then you think we should let him get away with it?” Sebastian demanded. His fists clenched with impotent fury. What in the name of God did he have to do to keep this woman safe?

“Of course not, and you will be free to beat him to a pulp I assure you. Just don’t kill him,” Falmouth said with a touch of impatience. “But you’re right about one thing, Sindalton. I think it’s time we paid the baron a little visit.”

“Sebastian!” He looked around to see Georgiana looking terrified and wide-eyed with shock. “He’s my guardian, we can’t marry without his consent.”

“Oh, don’t worry, love,” he said with a grim smile. “He’ll give his consent.”

***

The moonlit journey back to London was long and relieved only by the fact of having Georgiana safe in his arms. She was quiet and still, too shocked to sleep, and too weary to do anything but gaze out of the window at the silvered landscape with eyes that saw nothing at all.

If she was seeing anything, he suspected the scene was the same as he was replaying.

That dreadful moment when the gun had fired, and his childhood friend had staggered back as the bullet drove into his flesh.

Sebastian screwed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t want Beau dead, though he hated him for what he’d done. But he knew too, if he stood there again in that moment, he’d do exactly the same thing.