Page 47 of Deviant Duchess
“Deborah! You made it out!” Beatrice exclaimed, her happiness apparent.
“So did you,” Deborah sighed, raking her eyes down the young woman who had been so frightened at the auction.
“And not as a mistress?” She added with a hopeful tone.
Beatrice shook her head, her smile still fixed to her face.
You look remarkable,” Beatrice praised.
“As do you,” Deborah replied readily. “I had heard rumors of a mysterious “Lady of the Bloom” attending the party, but I never would have guessed it was you. Oh, and this discovery makes me so very happy!”
Beatrice’s gratitude was apparent in her brilliant smile.
“It is because of your advice that I am so,” Beatrice said, her tone low so only the two of them could hear. “I did as you said and won the bid of a gentleman. The situation is…interesting but not at all unseemly. Come, I shall introduce you.”
As Beatrice tugged at Deborah’s hand, a chill moved up her spine, as if a frigid hand had touched her neck. She turned, slowly, and her happiness faded as her eyes landed on Sylvester Fairborne. Disgust and hatred rose in her with great force, causing her stomach to tie in knots. He looked refined and handsome as he always had, walking through the crowd untouched by all the ugliness he’d created for Hester.
“Deborah?” Beatrice whispered, tugging at her hand again.
“I have to go,” Deborah whispered, letting go of Beatrice. She gave her a quick apologetic look as she stepped back, not wanting to lose sight of Sylvester.
“I am so happy I saw you. Be well, Beatrice,” she added, and before Beatrice could reply, Deborah turned and disappeared into the crowd, looking for Sylvester.
For a moment, her heart sank as she was lost in the sea of finely dressed socialites, but as she neared the dance floor, she saw him again, bowing to a young woman and offering her his hand for a dance. The gala, the people, all faded away as Deborah stared at him. There was nothing left but her, him, and the vengeance she was about to finally receive.
Reaching up, she grasped the handle of the dagger hidden in her hair and slid it free. The jewels cut into her palm with the tightness of her grip, but it did not matter. It was a small price to pay for what she was about to do. As she stepped closer, Sylvester turned his back to her, clearly unaware of his fate, and she raised the dagger. All she could see, all she could think, was how wonderful it was going to feel when she sank the blade into his back.
Then, suddenly, a hand was wrapped around hers, wrenching the dagger away, and strong arms banded around her waist as she was pulled into a firm chest.
“Murder is not a good look for you, darling,” Cedric whispered into her ear. “What do you say we dance instead?”
Rage and indignation had her whirling around and ready to demand her dagger back, but before she could say or do anything, Cedric took both her hands in his and twirled her onto the dance floor.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“God, he looks so pompous,” Cedric muttered, sipping from his glass of brandy as he watched Sylvester move through the crowd. “I wonder how many women he has ruined?”
Godric turned from the bar empty-handed and crossed his arms over his broad chest as he, too, set his gaze on Sylvester.
“I would wager the number is high,” Godric murmured. “My sources tell me that he has attended many auctions. Maybe not all at the same house, but he has a penchant for the ‘slave girl’ fantasy, it seems. I have received word that he has even arranged a few himself.”
Cedric’s lips curled in disgust. He might have been a rake, but he’d never made a woman feel as if sheowedhim sexual favors. Truly disgusted with the man before him, Cedric turned his eyes away and quickly found his Deborah. He was surprised and relieved to see her smiling and talking excitedly with another woman in an awfully gaudy gown of flowers.
His lips twitched toward a smile as he settled into watching her, and he felt the rest of his disgust fade away.
“You grow distracted, old friend,” Godric murmured.
Cedric chuckled.
“She does distract me,” he admitted, “In the most wonderful ways.”
Beside him, Godric tsked his tongue.
“Careful, you are starting to sound like a man in love,” he warned.
“Please,” Cedric chuckled, shaking his head as he kept his eyes on Deborah, “I am a man inlust.She is driving me wild. She does the most seductive things, and the thing is, I do not even believe she realizes what she is doing.”
“Right,” Godric grunted, “Lust. Sure, old friend.”
