telling me? Without telling anyone?”
Silence was the best response, Kira supposed. She felt all kinds of a fool for allowing
Lord Vance to convince her that a secret engagement and marriage would be so very
thrilling. How naïve he must have thought her. And she supposed she had been. Why
had she thought she ever cared for such a man?
Darius sighed in frustration at her silence. “Bloody hell. Will you at least tell
me how Vance came to learn of your birthmark?”
Kira swallowed. No, never. If she told her older brother that Lord Vance had taken her toward London , not Gretna Green, as promised , and bound her, stripped her naked, put his hands on her, and… She shuddered, refusing
to dwell further upon that horrible night. If Darius learned the complete truth, he
would stop at nothing to kill the cad. And since Vance was known as a crack shot,
despite the fact dueling was illegal, Kira feared her brother would lose his life
simply to protect her fallen reputation. If Darius died, her father would be heartbroken.
She would be devastated by the loss.
Would their mother care? The though t crept in, unbidden. She shoved it away.
What mattered now was that once she’d realized Lord Vance had no intent to wed her, she had escaped and returned
home.
“How Lord Vance learned of my birthmark is not important. He did not physically harm
me, as I’ve told you.”
“Yes, and you say he did not rape you,” Darius returned impatiently. “But— ”
“He did not.” Kira hoped the assurance would set her brother’s mind somewhat at ease.
The angry flush on Darius’s cheeks bespoke his fury. “But it’s clear he hurt you in
some manner. You never smile anymore, Kira. You’re afraid of him, I can see. Why else
would you protect him? Why else would you forbid me to hunt him down and punish him?”
Closing her eyes, Kira wished her brother could easily best the cad. Instead, she
feared Darius would, in his righteous anger, become rash and reckless and ultimately the victim of Vance’s smoking gun at dawn. She could not bear the thought.
Enduring slander was much easier. With her father gone from the country so often,
chasing his soul across the globe like a trade wind, Darius was the only real family
she could count on. What would she do without him?
“Please, let’s not speak of this anymore.” Kira sent him an imploring look. “Mr. Howland
is standing beside me, despite his family’s disapproval. Once we wed, they will see
I am a suitable wife, capable of caring for him and, eventually, our children. They
will come to realize I can be a good clergyman’s wife, that I will not behave in a
scandalous manner, and that I am no lustful hussy.”
Her brother looked doubtful, and Kira sighed. “Time,” she assured. “Give the thing
time. Between that and marriage, the talk will all go away. The ton will move on to another scandal, and I will cease to be of import. Since I’ve never had aspirations
to social consequence, the opinions of the London rich hardly signify. Once I’m married
and we settle in to James’s new parish, I shall have no cause to see any of the nasty
gossips, I am sure.” She grabbed her brother’s hands. “I am willing to let the matter
drop. Can you not do the same?”
Darius cursed and looked away.
Kira squeezed his fingers. “Please?”
“If you only knew the vicious lies— ”
“I know.” And she did know, though she did not understand the reasons Vance said such
things. At this point, however, his reasons hardly mattered. “I can do nothing to
stop his lies, so I would simply rather forget them.”
“I cannot!”
Stepping on the tips of her toes, Kira put her arms around her brother’s stiff shoulders.
“Try to forget. For me.”
Darius stood still and mute for very nearly a minute. Finally, he heaved a defeated
sigh. The grip fear held over Kira’s heart loosened its hold a fraction. Perhaps now
Lord
Silence was the best response, Kira supposed. She felt all kinds of a fool for allowing
Lord Vance to convince her that a secret engagement and marriage would be so very
thrilling. How naïve he must have thought her. And she supposed she had been. Why
had she thought she ever cared for such a man?
Darius sighed in frustration at her silence. “Bloody hell. Will you at least tell
me how Vance came to learn of your birthmark?”
Kira swallowed. No, never. If she told her older brother that Lord Vance had taken her toward London , not Gretna Green, as promised , and bound her, stripped her naked, put his hands on her, and… She shuddered, refusing
to dwell further upon that horrible night. If Darius learned the complete truth, he
would stop at nothing to kill the cad. And since Vance was known as a crack shot,
despite the fact dueling was illegal, Kira feared her brother would lose his life
simply to protect her fallen reputation. If Darius died, her father would be heartbroken.
She would be devastated by the loss.
Would their mother care? The though t crept in, unbidden. She shoved it away.
What mattered now was that once she’d realized Lord Vance had no intent to wed her, she had escaped and returned
home.
“How Lord Vance learned of my birthmark is not important. He did not physically harm
me, as I’ve told you.”
“Yes, and you say he did not rape you,” Darius returned impatiently. “But— ”
“He did not.” Kira hoped the assurance would set her brother’s mind somewhat at ease.
The angry flush on Darius’s cheeks bespoke his fury. “But it’s clear he hurt you in
some manner. You never smile anymore, Kira. You’re afraid of him, I can see. Why else
would you protect him? Why else would you forbid me to hunt him down and punish him?”
Closing her eyes, Kira wished her brother could easily best the cad. Instead, she
feared Darius would, in his righteous anger, become rash and reckless and ultimately the victim of Vance’s smoking gun at dawn. She could not bear the thought.
Enduring slander was much easier. With her father gone from the country so often,
chasing his soul across the globe like a trade wind, Darius was the only real family
she could count on. What would she do without him?
“Please, let’s not speak of this anymore.” Kira sent him an imploring look. “Mr. Howland
is standing beside me, despite his family’s disapproval. Once we wed, they will see
I am a suitable wife, capable of caring for him and, eventually, our children. They
will come to realize I can be a good clergyman’s wife, that I will not behave in a
scandalous manner, and that I am no lustful hussy.”
Her brother looked doubtful, and Kira sighed. “Time,” she assured. “Give the thing
time. Between that and marriage, the talk will all go away. The ton will move on to another scandal, and I will cease to be of import. Since I’ve never had aspirations
to social consequence, the opinions of the London rich hardly signify. Once I’m married
and we settle in to James’s new parish, I shall have no cause to see any of the nasty
gossips, I am sure.” She grabbed her brother’s hands. “I am willing to let the matter
drop. Can you not do the same?”
Darius cursed and looked away.
Kira squeezed his fingers. “Please?”
“If you only knew the vicious lies— ”
“I know.” And she did know, though she did not understand the reasons Vance said such
things. At this point, however, his reasons hardly mattered. “I can do nothing to
stop his lies, so I would simply rather forget them.”
“I cannot!”
Stepping on the tips of her toes, Kira put her arms around her brother’s stiff shoulders.
“Try to forget. For me.”
Darius stood still and mute for very nearly a minute. Finally, he heaved a defeated
sigh. The grip fear held over Kira’s heart loosened its hold a fraction. Perhaps now
Lord
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