Page 10 of His Scandalous Viscountess
“I have come to know Lord Swinton quite well since I took my father’s seat in parliament. Had you returned to the bosom of your family after his death, you might be more aware of who I am acquainted with.” He sighed softly. “As I told you when we last spoke upon your return, your family has missed you these many years. You are always welcome at Wallthorpe House.”
Julia’s spine stiffened at the reminder of their previous conversation. “And as I told you, while I appreciate the offer, I have lived as I please these many years. I find keeping my own household suits me.”
He closed the short distance between them, leaning in close to her as he sneered. “And am I to assume auctioning off your body for the use of the highest bidder is what pleases you? Possibly I was wrong in offering you my affection when last we spoke. It seems my wallet would have been more welcome.”
She inhaled sharply, though clearly, her plan was working. “How I choose to conduct my affairs is none of your concern. If you will excuse me.”
She turned to go, but found his hand on her forearm, gripping it tightly. When she made to jerk free, he tightened his hold to the point she was sure he would leave bruises. Then he dragged her into a nearby study off the main hall and pressed her against a wall.
“It is my concern, madam, when your actions bring scandal upon my family. I do not understand why you have rebuffed my generous offer to make you my marchioness. I am at least of your generation, unlike my father, who you happily married when he was forty years your senior.”
He paused and drew in a sharp breath through his nose, as though he were trying to calm himself, or maybe he was smelling her perfume. Neither possibility was comforting.
“Youwillmarry me, Julia. Simply allow me to offer the protection of my name, and all this nonsense about you auctioning yourself off will go away.”
Fear and anger warred within her breast as she considered how she might best extricate herself from such an untenable situation. He still held her arm in his grip, and his fetid breath fanned over her face. Anger overrode any sensible plan she might have conceived of. “Release me at once, you overbearing cad. I have no need of you, your wallet, or your protection. Now unhand me.”
“Why, you—”
And then he was jerked away from her, though he still gripped her arm.
“I believe the lady has made her feelings quite clear, Lord Wallthorpe.”
Wolf’s glowering countenance loomed over her stepson, an ice-cold fury blazing from his deep blue eyes. Wallthorpe’s brown eyes bulged from his head as he stared at her rescuer. And while Wolf was the last person she would have wished to overhear her exchange with her stepson, she could not deny the relief she felt at having him step in.
Taking the opportunity to extricate herself from Wallthorpe’s hold, and possibly evade any of Wolf’s questions, she jerked her arm free and tried to move toward the door of the study. But before she could make good on her escape, Wolf shoved the other man through the doorway and closed it unceremoniously in his face. All of which freed her from Wallthorpe and trapped her in the room alone withhim.
~
Wolf eyed Jules as she eased across the space, putting distance between them. He stifled a sigh of frustration. The woman clearly needed assistance with her problem. However, she still seemed reluctant to seek such help from him. Considering how he’d walked away the last time she’d needed him, he supposed he could understand her reluctance. But this time would be different. This time, he would ensure shewasprotected.
Determination flooded him with a sense of calm as he closed the gap she had opened between them. Her grass-green eyes widened as she noted his movement toward her. He stopped short of invading her immediate space, but close enough he could touch her if he reached out. “Are you well?”
She blinked a few times. “Am I well?”
“Did that bastard injure you?”
Wolf felt like the words were scraped from his throat. Now that he was closer he could see her pulse fluttering in the long column of her throat, and a restlessness emanated from her that reminded him of a skittish colt.
She drew a deep breath. “Of course not. My stepson and I merely had a difference of opinion.”
He was stupefied. “You consider that exchange a mere difference of opinion?”
She closed her eyes for a moment, leaving him a few ticks of time to appreciate her beauty. The deep red hair he’d so enjoyed touching the other night was neatly tied back, except for one lone curl that dangled tauntingly over her shoulder. Her skin was no longer the creamy white he remembered from years earlier. Now she had turned a soft, golden tan from her years in the sun, and he was far too aware of just how many of her lovely curves had been kissed in such a fashion. Tonight her dark green velvet gown lovingly hugged each of those lush curves, drawing a man’s eye, whether he willed it or not.
Opening her eyes, she seemed to have pulled herself together. “Indeed, we had a difference of opinion about a number of things. However, he has—as have many of my old acquaintances—discovered I am my own woman. I no longer allow others to form my opinions. I certainly will not be directed, told, ordered, or otherwise bullied into doing something I have no desire to do.”
The mutinous flash in her eyes should not have turned him on, but oh, how it did. He wanted to hold that defiance in his arms and tame it. To bend her will to his in the most intensely pleasurable ways. His cock stirred, rising to such libidinous thoughts. “You may have every intention of not marrying him, of not capitulating, but men like him have ways of achieving their goals.” He shoved his fingers through his hair, disrupting the previous orderliness wrought by his valet. “Christ, woman. You should know this. You were married to his father.”
“Be that as it may, I am not the same girl who was cowed by—”
Suddenly she gasped and spun about, giving him her back.
Was she crying? No, he heard no telltale sniffle, though her shoulders sat stiffly.
Wolf cursed again. “Jules, you are still a woman subject to the whims of men. If you do not see that, then you are indubitably courting trouble.”
She looked back at him, her gaze narrowed. “I am well aware of the limitations placed on me by Society, solely because I was born a woman.” She turned to face him, her cheeks flushed with anger now. “I have no need of you to remind me of the disadvantages my sex bears on a daily basis. But as a widow, I do have some protections under the law. Beyond that, I have other strategies in play to ensure I remain unencumbered by Wallthorpe, or any man, for that matter.”
