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Lavinia reared back and furrowed her brows. “From where? Where are you going in the middle of the night?”
Sebastian gritted his teeth. He wished he didn’t have to tell her. “A duel,” he said simply.
“A duel?” Lavinia straightened, her voice a few octaves higher pitched than normal.
“Yes. With William.”
“Are you out of your mind?” she gasped.
“No. And it’s my duty to—”
“Your duty to kill your friend because he ruined your niece? Just like it is your duty to marry me?”
“One has nothing to do with the other, Lavinia.” Sebastian stood and raked his hand through his hair.
Lavinia got out of bed, still clutching the bedsheets to her body. “Does Victoria know?”
Sebastian didn’t answer. He turned around and walked toward the door.
“Of course, she doesn’t! No woman in her right mind would allow that to happen. You can’t kill him, Sebastian! Not only is it illegal, but no matter his deception, Victoria loves him!”
“Well, she’ll have to fall out of love and quickly.” His voice was hard and brooked no argument.
“What if he truly loves her, too? What if you’re wrong, Sebastian. Don’t you think you need to speak with him first?”
Sebastian halted and turned toward Lavinia. She almost ran into him, and Sebastian had to catch her by her arms. “He kidnapped you and me, stranded us in a decrepit old house without food or transportation so that he’d have time to seduce and fool my niece! Why in the world would Inotkill him?”
Lavinia frowned. “Well, for the reasons I just said…”
“This is the only way to give her life back, her choices back, and her prospects!”
“What about your life? If you kill him, you will be imprisoned.”
Sebastian scoffed. “Nobody would raise a brow if I rid this world of the criminal that is William. No one would care.”
“Victoria will,” Lavinia said heatedly. “You will. Other people might not care, but what about your soul? Can you live knowing that you killed another human?”
Sebastian took her face between his palms and kissed her savagely.
Instead of pushing him away as he thought she would, Lavinia weaved her hands around his neck and kissed him back. Gently. She soothed his anger with the tender touch of her tongue and the soft press of her body against his.
Sebastian pulled away, breathing heavily.
“Sebastian just—”
“Stay here,” he growled. He walked to the door, grabbed the key, and locked the door behind him as he left.
* * *
Lavinia pulled on the servants’ bell as hard as she could and scrambled to search for something to wear. There was nothing in the room except for the dirty gown she’d traveled in. So she ran, stark naked, into the dressing room. She picked up the first gown she could find and brought it over to her chamber.
There was a rattle of the door handle and a knock at the door. Then came Beatrice’s confused voice. “My lady?”
Lavinia rushed to the door. “Beatrice, it is me, but someone locked the door from the outside. Can you please unlock it for me?”
“Just a moment, my lady.”
Lavinia heard retreating footsteps and let out a breath of relief. She returned to the dressing room and raided it, pulling out a chemise, stockings, a corset, anything she could find.
