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He turned a corner in the shrubbery, his long strides taking him to a shortcut that would lead him straight to the French doors of the Hadley ballroom when he heard something.
Frowning, he stilled and walked closer towards the source of the sound, his heart hammering in his chest.
Something is wrong…why am I feeling this way?
He strode into a small clearing in the Hadley gardens where Lady Hadley enjoyed holding tea parties and other such amusements with her friends. There were a few stone benches in the perimeter, and the entire area was fashioned after a lady’s preferences.
However, the sight before him was one that turned his blood cold right before he erupted in a towering rage.
CHAPTER11
Emily could be considered an innocent amongst the Ton as she was not only vastly unaware of the art of flirting, but she was also unversed in the private matters that occurred between a man and a woman.
That one kiss with His Grace in the salon had shown her only the briefest glimpse into what awaited her during marriage, but she knew better than to expect itagainfrom the Duke of Gilleton.
After all, it was nothing more than a mistake to him—he had said as much before he left her there, his lips still tingling, her heart thundering in her chest.
So, when Lord Chaney invited her for a stroll in the moonlit gardens beyond the Hadley ballroom, she had hesitated. To be seen with a man unchaperoned would irrevocably ruin her.
But the Viscount had assured her, on his honor, that he would never do anything to besmirch her reputation, and so, she had begrudgingly allowed him to lead her out into the garden.
Besides, she thought whimsically to herself,is it not the perfect time for a…proposal?
The Viscount had hinted at it the whole night long, scarcely ever leaving her side to the point that it irked Melissa even. So, when her friend was led to the dance floor, Emily had acquiesced to accompany Lord Chaney out into the gardens.
However, instead of the romantic proposal she had been expecting, who would have known that he would suddenly turn into a ravenous wolf?
“My Lord, please!” she pleaded with him, pushing at his chest as his arms tightened around her like steel bands. Her eyes widened in sheer terror as she saw the glint in his eyes. “Please, let me go!”
“Never!” he told her harshly. “You are mine, Emily!”
He slanted his mouth over hers to capture her lips in a brutal kiss, and she very quickly realized that she didnotwant this man touching her in such a way! Unlike the seductive spell she had fallen in the Duke’s arms, this one inspired a numbing terror in her so much so that all she could do was turn her head away to avoid him.
Enraged, the Viscount grasped her chin and forced her to face him once more. Emily contemplated actuallybitinghim should he attempt to kiss her again when she felt him wrenched viciously from her.
Disoriented, she stumbled back and fell onto one of the stone benches behind her, her eyes dazed.
Standing before them like a dark angel, His Grace, the Duke of Gilleton glared fiercely at the Viscount of Chaney, his chilling blue eyes filled with such fury that Emily feared he would tear Lord Chaney apart with his own hands.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to force yourself on unwilling women, Chaney?”
The words were uttered with such cold rage that it chilled Emily’s blood in her veins.
To her surprise, Lord Chaney merely laughed and stood up from the grass, dusting his coat off with a sardonic smile.
“She was much too busy withyourfather to mention anything of that sort to me,” the Viscount shot back with a taunting grin.
She saw His Grace’s hands tighten into fists at his sides. “You have ten seconds to leave.”
“Or what?” Lord Chaney flung back. “Are you calling me out, Your Grace?”
“No, but I will make sure that the Earl of Hardy will shoot you dead at dawn if you don’t.”
“Are you threateningme?”
Despite the bravado in his words, she could see the Viscount visibly paling in the moonlight. Emily had thought that the gossip about her brother being an expert marksman was nothing more than that. She had not expected the Duke to bring it up to remind Lord Chaney that should he dare to accost Emily, Daniel would make sure Benedict settled the Lord properly.
“And if you so much as breathe a word of this to anyone,” His Grace continued in a soft, steely voice, “then I shall make sure you are sent back to your lovely mother in abox.”
