Page 22

"Mind your head, sir," Grimes said and Julian came up short, barely avoiding a collision between his head and a beam in the mine.

It was the second time during this inspection of a newly opened area of the mine that Julian had stumbled or nearly run into something.

It could have been due to the difficulty of lighting a tunnel dug well below the surface of the earth.

It could have been due to the fact he only had one working eye so his peripheral vision and depth perception were limited.

Both of those were plausible explanations.

But they were wrong. For the first time he could remember, being at the mine did not completely contain his focus.

Today, his mind was occupied with his wife.

The way she had clung to him, helpless and nearly inconsolable.

He had not believed her to have such affection for her stepbrother, but he also knew the finality of death and he believed that finding out about his likely violent end via the newspaper rather than in a private and dignified manner was also unsettling.

His grandfather's pithy comments, though not inaccurate, had certainly not helped the situation.

As he and Grimes continued through the mine shaft Julian forced himself to pay attention to what the foreman was telling him.

This was important. Had he not lost his eye in the furtherance of this mining enterprise?

Not to mention entering into a marriage with a stranger in order to comply with his grandfather's demands.

But she was no longer a stranger to him. In fact, she was becoming much more than that. He caught himself smiling at the recollection of the ruse she'd pulled on him the night before and the godawful barrier of pillows she'd made in their bed.

"Are you pleased then, my lord?" Grimes asked.

Damnation. Distracted again.

"Yes, of course," he replied, praying it was the proper thing to say.

"I hoped you would be," Grimes responded to Julian's relief.

They turned and retraced their path back to the entrance of the mine where the afternoon sun glared even brighter in comparison to the darkness of the mine shaft.

Though his vision was partially obscured due to the change in his surroundings, Julian made out the form of Kenley waiting for him outside the building which housed the mine offices.

His valet approached to report on his trip to London.

"You made good time today, Kenley," he said with a grin. "I know how you enjoy going fast."

The other man allowed himself a smile in response. "What is the point in keeping such fine horses if they are not permitted to have their head upon occasion?"

"Too true. I am sure Obsidian enjoyed the outing."

"Yes, he did." Then the valet grew somber.

"I take it you have news for me. You would not have returned if you did not."

"You are correct, my lord."

"Based upon your countenance, I assume it is not good news."

"I have done the best I can, my lord." Thereupon Kenley proceeded to give Julian all the details he had been able to gather during his time in London.

"Thank you, Kenley," he said once he had absorbed all he'd been told. "I shall pass that along to Lady Ashford right away."

Much as he longed to see Laurel again and assure himself she was all right, he was not eager to have this conversation with his wife.

Though several hours remained until the time he usually left the mine, Julian would be of no use until he had seen Laurel, passed along the information he'd gotten from Kenley and assured himself she was not excessively distressed.

Before he could end his workday, however, there were still items of mine business to be concluded.

Rushing toward his office he came up short when he recognized the rounded shoulders and sniveling voice of his cousin Lord Leonard Tinnitus who was addressing Grimes in his usual arrogant fashion, which rankled Julian excessively.

Grimes, who had earned Julian's respect through his hard work, honesty and loyalty was more of a gentleman, despite his lowly birth, than Leonard could ever hope to be.

"Have you come to steal more items from my office?" Julian asked, interrupting Leonard's efforts to bend the mine foreman to his will. "By all means," Julian continued, unlocking the door to his private sanctuary and pushing it open with a sweeping gesture, "help yourself."

Leonard, immune to sarcasm, strode into the office, brushing past Julian as he did so. With a sigh, Julian followed, closing the door behind him. "Why are you here, Tiny?"

Just like when they were children, the nickname angered Julian's cousin, and Julian braced for Leonard to run at him, head lowered, as he'd done in their youth.

However, Leonard had apparently matured beyond such attacks, though Julian noted with satisfaction more subtle signs that his words had irritated his unwanted visitor.

A flash of anger in his eyes, a pulse in his clenched jaw.

"Ironic that a man with one eye should choose to try to goad me with a nickname," Leonard said, moving to examine one of the maps of the mine which hung on the wall.

"You think I have not heard everything you and others have said behind my back?

" Julian asked. He was a man of little patience and all of it was gone, particularly where his cousin was concerned.

How his grandfather thought this bird-witted man could ever manage a business, let alone one which imperiled the lives of men on a daily basis, continued to be a mystery to Julian.

"I have brought my family to meet your bride," Leonard replied, ignoring Julian's words.

He turned back from the map and gave Julian an impudent look.

"I left Lady Drucilla and the children with Grandfather, Lady Ashford and Lady Penny while I came in search of you.

I was surprised you were not with your bride at Hazelden House.

I would find it impossible to leave a prime article such as she so soon after obtaining the right to her lovely body. "

Rage flared in Julian. He grabbed his cousin by the lapels of his coat and slammed him against a bookcase.

"Do not speak of my wife in such a manner again," he growled, his face inches from his cousin's.

He pushed Leonard further and further into the piece of furniture until it nearly came away from the wall and his scrawny relative squirmed beneath his grip.

Seeing fear in his cousin's eyes gave him a sense of satisfaction.

For a fleeting moment, Julian considered what it would feel like to close his hands around the other man's throat and choke away his miserable existence. It would certainly eliminate most of the problems in Julian's life.

Reason prevailed and he drew back, then flung the other man to the floor. "Get out," he spat the words at Leonard.

Lord Tinnitus, never one to follow instructions even if they were for his own benefit, stood and straightened his coat, glaring at Julian from the safety of a distance of several feet.

"Seems I've struck a nerve," he sneered.

He brushed imaginary dust from his sleeve.

"I'll be on my way." He strolled past Julian en route to the door, turned and said, "Since you are so engrossed with this filthy mine, someone needs to take tea with your bride. "

He slipped out the door and closed it behind him before Julian could get hold of him again.

Seething, Julian stared after him, his hands clenching and unclenching as he questioned his decision not to strangle the blighter who was his own flesh and blood.

He poured himself a drink and threw it back, enjoying the burn as it slid down his throat.

There was a tap on the door.

"Enter," he called out.

Grimes stepped in, surveying the books which had fallen to the floor. "He has gone, my lord. I put him in the carriage myself."

Julian blew out a breath. "Thank you," he said, then rubbed his hand over his forehead in an effort to ease the pain thumping there.

"What did he want?" Julian asked.

"I found him snooping around on my desk when I returned. He was most blatant about it. Fortunately I had locked up anything important before we went down into the mine. He has been coming around more often of late and I have become vigilant because of it."

"Yes," Julian said. "We must all be vigilant. I do not know what he has up his sleeve, but I do not trust him any more now than I did when he used to tell tales about me when we were children."