Page 36

A licia held her breath, the tip of the blade sharp against her chin as she tried to remain as still as she could.

“Put the knife down, Michael.” Seth’s voice was like ice, his gaze fixed on his friend.

Michael’s arm tightened, and Alicia winced as the knife pressed more forcefully against her flesh.

Lucas and Isaac advanced on them, but at their movement, Alicia winced as the knife pushed in far enough to draw blood. She felt it trickle down her neck.

Pulling at her arm, she tried to shake off his grip, but Michael was impossibly strong, his whole body a coiled spring waiting to strike.

“Just let me go, and no one will come to harm,” he whispered.

“We can’t do that, Grant. Not when we know you killed Fern. You have lied to us for years, never speaking the truth until it was forced upon you,” Isaac gritted out.

Michael pulled Alicia back toward the door, but the three men moved with him.

Alicia glanced at Seth and could see the dark beast in his eyes, waiting to pounce.

“Don’t make me hurt you, Michael,” he said slowly. “You are not leaving this house.”

“And what if I kill your wife?”

“Then you will die tonight.”

Alicia had never believed a statement more. Seth looked ready to strike, to kill without a moment’s hesitation.

Michael took another step away from them, but Isaac and Seth were closing in on him.

Both men were big and broad, but Seth was taller than Isaac and had the weight of his fury behind him. Alicia had never seen him look so terrifying.

“Let her go,” he breathed.

Alicia felt the knife press harder against her skin.

If I do not act, I might die here tonight.

Without thinking about the consequences, she wrenched one arm free, jabbing her elbow violently into Michael’s side. He grunted, the knife slicing sideways. She felt it score her neck, cutting it, even as Seth lunged forward.

She screamed as Michael swung the knife back and plunged it viciously into Seth’s arm.

Seth made no sound, even as blood spurted from the wound. His fist came up in a sharp jab and connected violently with Michael’s nose.

Michael went down with a bellow, and Isaac and Seth descended on him, subduing him as Lucas ran out to get the constables.

With his knee pressing down on the small of Michael’s back, Seth ripped at his neck with his good arm, pulling at his cravat as Isaac used his body to pin Michael to the floor.

The cravat was soon stained with Seth’s blood, dark rivulets trickling over his fingers. Seemingly heedless of the pain, he tied Michael’s wrists behind his back viciously tight.

As Michael’s struggles ceased, Alicia sank to her knees beside Seth, and his beloved brown eyes met hers.

She laid a gentle hand on his good shoulder. “Are you all right?”

Seth nodded. “It looks worse than it is. Those knives are meant for steak, not human flesh.”

They both looked down at Michael. Seth’s jaw clenched, and his hands twitched as if he wished to dole out further punishment. But the blood was thick on his sleeve.

“We have him,” Isaac said, sitting on Michael’s back to prevent him from moving.

“Go and see to that wound, Radcliffe. You’re of no use to any of us if you die of an infection.

” His gaze turned to Alicia. “Firm pressure, Your Grace. Take care of him, and we will see to this blaggard. Seth has done enough.”

He handed Alicia a handkerchief, and she pressed it against the wound.

Seth hissed. “Will you be all right, Isaac?”

Isaac nodded, his expression grave. “He isn’t going anywhere, Radcliffe. You have my word. Settle down and get some rest.”

Seth nodded as Alicia took his arm and led him up to their room.

The fire was lit, and there were candles on either side of the bed. She pulled him toward the mattress as his weight grew heavier before he slowly sank into the bed.

Hurriedly, she rushed to the washbasin, ringing the bell for hot water and cloths. Moments later, the butler rushed into the room, having gathered what was needed, and placed everything on a side table for her to reach easily.

At his quiet inquiry, she told him she could deal with things for now, and he left the room. Then, they were alone.

She unfolded the linen and soaked it in hot water. Approaching the bed, Alicia dragged a chair across the floor so that she could perch on it and clean Seth’s arm more easily.

He seemed to be in a daze, unmoving and silent as she pulled at his coat.

“Christ, woman, that hurts,” he said, glaring at her as she pulled it forcefully down his arms.

“Well then, help me to relieve you of your shirt, or I shall cut it away myself.”

Seth reluctantly pulled his shirt over his head with his good arm, and Alicia discarded the bloodied thing onto the floor.

He stared at it in disbelief, his eyes glazing over as Alicia tried not to be distracted by the exquisite, chiseled body on display.

“He could have killed you,” he whispered, his hand skimming over her neck. “You are bleeding.”

She gently pushed him away. “It is just a scratch. Let me see to you.”

Wiping away the blood on his arm, Alicia was relieved to see that the flow was ebbing. His hands and forearm were still stained with it, however, and it took her several minutes to clean them.

“Thank you,” he murmured as she wrung out the final cloth and pulled out a length of gauze to cover the wound, wrapping it around a wad of fabric to stop it from seeping through.

“I hope you are feeling better now,” she said.

Seth nodded, the same lethargy about him as he stared at her neck, his mouth working around words he seemed unable to say.

“You should rest,” she urged, standing up and gathering the soiled linen around him.

Alicia turned but was stopped once more by a hand around her wrist, and this time, he gripped her painfully tight.

“You will make it bleed again,” she admonished.

“I do not care about my wound,” he said thickly.

The intense yearning in his eyes made her stomach flutter, and she clenched the cloths between her fingers, unsure how to interpret the heat radiating from him.

Does he simply want a maid to nurse him? Or does he wish to have his wife by his side?

“It has been a long day, and I am tired,” she murmured. “We should both get some sleep. Call for me if you need me.”

He did not release her as he rose, tugging her toward him.

“Do you not realize what this means, Alicia? It is over. I have finally had the vengeance I sought all these years. Gordon’s death has been avenged, and we have found the person responsible. After over a decade of waiting, it can finally be put to bed.”

Alicia looked up at him, a desire to revel in the joy on his face burning within her. But the sadness in her heart prevented it from taking flight.

“I am happy for you,” she said gently, trying to pull away from his grip. “And I am glad that you have found out what happened to your friend. But I am not sure I can support you any longer.”

Seth went still. “What do you mean?”

“I will always be by your side, as your wife. As the fantasy you imagine me to be. But I cannot be anything else. I am tired of waiting for you to see me as more than a convenience. Perhaps I should have accepted long ago that it was never meant to be.”

She made to leave, but his grip only tightened again.

Looking up at him, her heart stuttered at the despair and quiet need in his eyes.

“Alicia,” he whispered, “you have never been a convenience. Not since I first saw you in your wedding gown.”

His tongue wet his lips as he faced her, his other hand coming up to encircle her arm.

“I love you, my Duchess. I am sorry to have kept you waiting all this time. I did not know how to be worthy of your light, and in my uncertainty, I have caused you pain.”

He stepped forward until their bodies were pressed against one another. Alicia’s fingers still clutched the bandages, and he looked down, removing them from her grip and discarding them on the table before pulling her against him.

His gaze was black as pitch in the candlelight, and there was such need in it that it made her heart stutter.

“I do not think I will ever be worthy of you. I do not think my darkness will ever be completely banished, but it can only be chased away by having you in my life. It does not matter if I deserve you or not—I have decided that you are mine either way.”

“I am yours?” she breathed, her heart soaring as a bubble of joy rose in her breast and burst.

“You are entirely mine, my Duchess. No one else will ever claim you as I will tonight.”

She shuddered as he pushed her against the bedpost, even as she tried to escape his arms.

“You are injured! You cannot claim me tonight—this is madness.”

Seth’s lips quirked up. “Do you really think that I will wait another second to feel you around me, Duchess? I have been driven mad with need, and I will not delay any longer.”

Alicia melted against the bedpost as he pushed his body against hers, and his arms came around her.

“Will you let me have you tonight?” he asked, his lips hovering over her neck. “I have dreamed of that night at the opera. But in the dream, I am thrusting into you, making you scream so loud that the entire world knows who you belong to.”

She trembled, his words setting her skin alight with need.

“Take me,” she whispered.

Seth pulled back and stared at her as he gripped her arms and pushed her down onto the bed.