Page 104 of A Touch So Wicked

“Oh, but he can,” Kimbra smirked. “Consider yourself fortunate to be free of the Jacobite.”

“Sire, what have you done with Elissa?” Damian demanded to know.

“Nothing…yet,” the king answered. “We have placed her in the Tower while we decide her fate. She is still there, is she not, Lord Pelham?”

“Indeed she is, Sire.”

The blood froze in Damian’s veins. The Tower! He had visited the Tower upon occasion and was familiar with the cold, dank chambers. He wouldn’t wish his worst enemy there. “I want to see her.”

Kimbra stepped forward, her expression almost feral. “Do not allow it, I beg you, Sire. The woman caused me a great deal of pain and embarrassment.”

Damian struggled to contain his temper. “Elissa did nothing to you. You hated her on sight and made free with your insults. Nothing about Misterly pleased you. Your unreasonable demands made enemies of the very people whose loyalty I’ve been courting.”

“He lies!” Kimbra hissed. “The Jacobite bewitched him. Lord Damian was remiss in his duty to you. He should have sent the woman to the convent as you instructed.”

“You’re bitter because I preferred Elissa,” Damian charged.

The king raised his hand for silence. “We have heard enough,” he said. “Lady Kimbra has told us all we need to know. Tell him of our decision, Lord Pelham, for English words do not come easily to us.”

Lord Pelham cleared his throat. “’Tis as His Majesty says. You disobeyed his orders and entered into a fraudulent marriage with a woman who conspired with an outlaw to commit treason.”

A hard knot formed in Damian’s gut. “Elissa did not conspire with Gordon.” He glared at Kimbra. “She has been falsely accused.”

Pelham made an impatient gesture. “Return to Misterly, Clarendon. There is nothing more you can do here.”

“What is to become of Elissa?”

“Treason is a serious charge, punishable by death.”

Gorge rose in Damian’s throat. He would not allow such a travesty. “I beg you, take Misterly from me, strip away my title, do with me as you will, but spare Elissa.”

“Perhaps there is a way,” Lord Pelham said, stroking his chin as he exchanged a sly smile with Kimbra.

“Anything! Name it,” Damian replied, his spirit soaring on a slender thread of hope.

“’Tis a simple thing, really,” Lord Pelham said. “His Majesty still feels that you are the best man for Misterly, and he wishes you to keep your title, with certain stipulations, of course.”

“Of course,” Damian said dryly. He expected no less.

“His Majesty wants your marriage to Lady Kimbra to go forward. I have spoken to Lady Kimbra and she is willing to put the past behind her and bow to the king’s wishes.”

“You want me to wed Lady Kimbra?” Damian repeated numbly.

“’Tis a good match, my lord,” Kimbra interjected.

“Will Elissa be spared if I wed Lady Kimbra?”

“Aye, Clarendon, ’tis just as I said. Is that not so, Your Majesty?”

King George nodded in acknowledgment and motioned for Lord Pelham to continue.

“It is His Majesty’s wish that you and Lady Kimbra wed in his Privy Chambers ten days hence. Lady Kimbra asked His Majesty that he postpone your return to Misterly until the end of the current Season and His Majesty has graciously acquiesced. Is that agreeable to you, Lord Clarendon?”

“That depends,” Damian said slowly, “on your plans for Elissa.”

“Were you not listening?” Lord Pelham chided. “The woman’s life will be spared.”

“Will she be free to return to Misterly?”