His Wicked Seduction novel Chapter 49

Horatia gawked at him before she recovered herself. "Wha-what?" First Linus, now Avery? This was all very strange.

The waltz's tempo changed, and Horatia found Avery's hand delicately stroking her waist in soft but sensual sweeps that startled her into a deep flush.

"I believe my brother has been a fool. You have pined for him too long, my dear. Why not give another of us a chance to woo you?"

"Honestly, this is quite-" She couldn't finish because he cut her off.

"I see, you still care too much for him. Well, I suspected that might be the case. He is waiting for you in the hall. Do you care to meet him?"

She gave a little furtive glance over her shoulder and saw that indeed, Lucien had left the room.

"He really wishes to see me?" It was too much to hope that it was true.

"Of course. We convinced him that he shouldn't deny what was in his heart."

"Very well, then I should like that."

Avery drew them both near the ballroom's door, which was ajar and he twirled her through the darkened doorway. Horatia would have stumbled but a pair of arms caught her, clasping her to a hard, warm body. In the dim light of the hall she looked up at the man who held her scandalously close.

"Lucien?" she whispered.

The man who held her glided gently down the darkened hall with steps that still held the echoes of a dance to them. The servants hadn't lit the lamps-or someone had blown them out. A shiver of apprehension settled over her.

"Lucien, we shouldn't leave." She jerked at his hand, her slippers digging into the carpet as she tried to slow him down.

"Come now, Horatia. Lucien and I are not so alike, are we?" Lawrence's amused laugh froze her dead in her tracks. He tugged again on her arm, and she nearly stumbled.

"Lawrence, let me go. We ought to return to the ballroom. This isn't-where are you taking me?" Her pulse leapt as Lawrence chose a door halfway down the corridor and opened it, taking her inside. Horatia tripped over a wrinkle in the carpet and fell against the nearest piece of furniture, which happened to be a bed. Lawrence had brought her into a bedroom...alone.

"Lawrence, what's going on? Why did you bring me here?" She struggled to get up, hearing her gown rip at the hem as she tried to push away from the bed.

Lawrence ignored her questions. "This will do very well, I think. We don't have much time to do this and it must be done correctly."

Horatia righted herself and turned to face him. Her heart stuttered as he smiled and made a show of leaving the door open a few inches. There was no light in the room save for a pair of candles above the fireplace. Shadows fell across Lawrence's face as he stripped his overcoat off and dropped it over the back of the nearest chair. Horatia took two slow steps towards the door, but he mirrored her movements with an amused expression.

"Going somewhere?" he teased.

"Lawrence," she said softly, a new sense of uneasiness filling her. She was cornered and a little bit frightened. At that moment she did not trust him at all. "Let me leave." Horatia hoped he would listen to reason. "Surely you must see that this isn't at all proper, even for your family."

He leaned against the wall by the door, arms crossed over his chest as his eyes raked over her body. "My family is improper even at the best of times, and my dear sweet Miss Sheridan, you've become the newest toy for my brothers and me to fight over. Congratulations! Lucien is a fool not to want you, but I am no fool."

"You wouldn't...You couldn't!" Horatia watched in almost dazed shock as Lawrence removed his cravat and unbuttoned his shirt.

This couldn't be happening. He was a friend, someone she'd trusted and respected.

"You won't touch me. You won't." His widening smile made her shudder. "Come any closer and I'll scream..." Truth be told she'd do a lot more than that, but her instincts warned her to keep that intention to herself. No sense in warning the man what she was capable of.

He watched her with an expression so primitive that Horatia scrambled to get away as he pushed himself from the door and advanced upon her. She wished to God her hands would stop shaking. She knew his reputation was just as bad as Lucien's. She also remembered him in the Midnight Garden, and how he'd been seducing the woman he'd chosen that night. She would not be his next conquest. She could not!

Part of her was still stunned that it was Lawrence who would treat her this way. He'd always been so protective, almost as much as Cedric. What had changed in him that would bring about an attempt at forced seduction such as this?

Horatia shouted, "Lucien! Stop! Please! Just take me to my room...please."

Only the last word seemed to reach him. He released his brother, muttering a filthy string of insults. Lawrence straightened his clothes as Horatia walked up to him. Her palm itched to slap him, but not before she said what she needed to say.

"I don't know what you were trying to do tonight, Lawrence, but know this-you will face my wrath and it will make Lucien's fury look pale in comparison." She was barely able to keep herself from shouting at him. His eyes narrowed and the challenge snapped what control had remained. She slapped Lawrence as hard as she could, the harsh sound echoed through the room.

Despite the reddening mark on his face, Lawrence did not make a sound. Horatia raised her trembling chin high and marched to the door. She paused when she realized Lucien had not followed her. He still eyed his brother with murderous intent.

"Lucien, leave him. I need you."

He tore his gaze away and followed her to the door, pausing only to shoot one last furious look at his brother before he wrapped a protective arm around Horatia's waist and escorted her to her chambers. A footman stepped forward, a concerned look on his face.

"My lord, I heard a commotion. Do you or Miss Sheridan require anything? Shall I send for Miss Sheridan's lady's maid?"

"No. No need. It's Gordon, isn't it?" Lucien was still getting acquainted with his mother's new staff.

"Yes, my lord."

"Thank you, Gordon. No need to send for Ursula, but if you would be so good as to keep the other servants clear of my room and Miss Sheridan's. She needs to be attended to and I do not wish for her reputation to suffer."

The footman squared his shoulders. "Of course, my lord. I will take it up on myself to see that you are not disturbed." The footman bid them good night and slipped down the hallway, vanishing through one of the doors that led to servants' quarters.

The moment her door was shut Horatia fell into the nearest chair, body shaking with the aftermath of her scare. She had the sudden urge to cry, but choked down the sobs that tried to bubble up in her throat. She meant to thank Lucien for his intervention, but instead she burst into tears, unable to maintain her strength any longer. It wasn't so much what Lawrence had done, or almost done, it was something deeper, something more painful that she didn't fully understand. Looking at Lucien was like salt in a fresh wound. Why was she always falling to pieces around him?