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* * *
“Country life suits you,”James Edwards said as he handed a cue to Arthur.
Arthur took the cue and sipped his brandy. “You think so?”
“I have never seen you so at peace.”
“Peace? Lord, James, you make it sound as if I’m dead, or put to pasture like an old stallion who’s done with stud life.”
Ezra and the other man in their party, Basil Roverton, chuckled at that as they poured their own glasses of brandy on the opposite side of the room.
“That’s not what I meant.” James leaned lightly on his cue as he watched the other men. “We’ve lived at a fast pace, and sometimes, well, I have the desire to slow down. To breathe. But men like Ezra, they drag you along and you can never catch your breath.”
Ezra raised his glass, a grin on his face. “Yet you cannot deny that it’s a wild ride.”
Arthur considered James’s words. There was certainly some truth to them. All of the hectic nights, the free-flowing wine, the women so numerous their faces had begun to look the same… Somewhere along the way it had ceased to be amusing and had become just another day of chaos. James was right about Ezra and Della. The wild pair were driving all of them to the brink. And Arthur, at least, was done.
“I think you may be right,” he sighed. He began to think seriously now about spending less time in London. It wouldn’t be a quick transition, but he could start making plans. Besides, if he spent more time here, he would see Matilda more often. That was certainly a strong motivation.
He and James played billiards with Basil and Ezra until it was time to change for dinner. With each passing hour, he felt more and more excited about the idea of spending more time here at Castleton, and with Matilda.
* * *
Despite the factit was Christmas Eve, no one was behaving at dinner. The bawdy songs and scandalous stories had become more intense than ever. Matilda was certain that her face stayed permanently red while she ate. Ezra, sitting beside her, continued to plague her with all manner of questions about life in the country and everything she said seemed to amuse him, even the things she knew weren’t all that amusing. But she bravely kept up her side of the conversation until dinner was over.
“Ladies, let us retire to the drawing room,” Della said, acting as hostess of Arthur’s home.
“And the men shall dine on port and cigars,” Ezra proclaimed as he shot the ladies a charming grin.
Matilda reluctantly followed the women into the drawing room, but was there for perhaps only ten minutes when a footman delivered her a private note from Arthur asking to meet her in the library. She excused herself and quickly went to the library, but it was empty. He must be having a difficult time leaving his friends. She contented herself by retrieving a book and sitting down on the settee to read. Matilda lost herself in the story and only looked up when she heard Arthur come into the room.
“Arthur—” She turned to beam up at him, but her smile faltered. It wasn’t Arthur. It was Ezra.
He bowed to her. “I beg your pardon, Miss Matthews. I only came to get a book to put me to sleep. Port has a dreadful way of keeping me awake. Please, do not let me disturb you.” He walked toward one of the shelves and examined the books while muttering to himself. “Dull… long… longanddull.”
Matilda returned to reading, until Ezra finally chose a book and slowly wandered in her direction.
“Arthur seems quite content,” he said after a moment. “He’s a good friend, and I’m glad to see him so pleased.”
Matilda held her breath. Did he know that she and Arthur were lovers?
Ezra sat beside her on the settee. “I always expected him to marry Della, of course. She is so well matched to him.” After a moment, he reached out, placing his palm on Matilda’s knee. “I would like to be apleasedman, too. I can pay generously for your favors. More generously, I assure you, than Arthur pays for his women. How much will it cost to have you?” His gaze held Matilda’s, and she felt very small, like a rabbit in front of a large snake.
“He isn’t paying me and we aren’t—”
“Nonsense. He told me all about you, even bragged to me and the others. The way he talked, it makes a man jealous. And jealous men are willing to pay to get what they want.” His hand tightened on her knee. She reached down and gripped his wrist, trying to pry his fingers from her leg.
“Let me go, Mr. Cowper.Now.” She didn’t yell, but her voice was firm.
“Name your price,” Ezra whispered, his hand slowly starting to pull her skirts up.
Matilda dropped her book. Before he could stop her, she slapped him.Hard. The crack of her own hand hitting his face made her palm burn, yet Ezra barely flinched.
“I offered to pay you far more than you’re worth, and this is your reply? If you won’t take my money, I’ll just have totakewhat I want.”
He gripped her by the throat and shoved her down on the settee, pinning her beneath his body. Matilda couldn’t scream—no air could escape her lungs.
Candlelight swirled above her as she thrashed. Her fingers clawed at anything to free the grip of her throat. Black dots closed in on her vision and her lungs burned as though she’d inhaled fire.
