Authors: Beth Trissel
“I opened the
door.
That
silver
dagger
you described
cam
e at me out of the dark.
The emerald
on the hilt shone
for an instant in the light of my bedside candle. Then the blade
sank deep.
”
She choked at
the horrible image
.
Both of them were silent for a shaky minute,
and
then she
said,
“You
had no chance
.
”
“None.
I slammed the door and held
it shut with one hand, clutching my chest with the other.”
“The mark in the wood
––
”
“From the
furious
attacker.
Whoever it was
must
have
given
up and left.”
“And you staggered
to your desk to write that note before
you fell,” she finished
, hardly able to absorb what
he
’d
said
.
“
I
read it just before sinking
unconscious
beside yo
u.
When I
a
wakened
,
I was back in my chamber and the note
was gone.”
E
motion
thickened his voice
.
“You came to me
?”
“Early in the morning
before the household had stirred
.
I was the first to find you,
”
she squeezed out.
“Poor, poor, Jules.
”
“I wanted you
too much to wait another moment
for us to be together
.”
“So you came to give
yourself to me and found me lying there
instead...
”
his voice trailed off in the overwhelming realization
that had seized them both
.
Indescribable
pain
choked her.
“Please God
––
I don’t want to find you
like that
again. Let’s leave.
Let’s run away.
”
“Where
, my love
?”
“Anywhere,
”
she implored him.
He held her
to him
.
“I fear
events would follow us whereve
r we went
. We have to see this matter through.”
“What if it sees us through?”
“Have a little faith.
We
’ve
be
en given this second chance for a reason
.”
“You m
ean to continue
with the play,
even knowing what you do about Cameron and Lyle?”
Will answered in a husky tone.
“As much as I dislike Lyle, and he fully returns my sentiments, I don’t believe he would run me through in front of a crowd of onlookers.”
“What about Paul?” She wasn’t
satisfied
he was completely innocent.
“Paul has never challenged me in
all
his time at Foxleigh
, past or present,
let alone has the skill or
wherewithal
to fight me.”
“He’s sneaky.”
“Because he likes pretty things and sometimes takes them. He’s at least smart enough to
know he might get caught
.”
Julia shook
her head
in frustration.
“
But y
ou’re ruling
them
both out
.
”
“No.
Just considering any means that might be used against me.”
“
Us
, Will.
I sense
this danger
also
tar
gets me
.”
“How, except in
distress
for my safety
?
Lyle’
s highly
protect
ive when it comes to you.
D
amn possessive
too
, but he’d never harm you.
Of that, I’m cert
ain.
And Paul worships the very ground you tread
.
Ly
le’s in greater danger from him
than you, though I can’t
see Paul standing up to the Aussie
.”
“There’s
still
something we’re missing
.
S
omething we’ve
ove
rlooked,” she pleaded
, in rising desperation
.
“Shhhh...
I’m not finished sorting
this out.
I’ve
only
just begun.
”
She heaved a shuddering sigh.
“At last.”
He
circled his hand at her cheek.
“Sorry it to
ok me so long.
But I know
who I am now, a mystical union
of Cole and Will
.
These
two formidable
Wentworth
s
are a force to be reckoned with
.”
Julia agreed with all her heart, but she couldn’t speak.
Softly, softly, Will
closed his lips over her tremulous mouth.
Even
with all the apprehension gripping her, she slowly relaxed and leaned
into his kiss.
Circling his arms around her
back
, he pulled her to him harder...sliding his mouth over hers.
The force of his passion swept through her, lifting her above
the
haunting fear.
“Cole never did that, but he would have given anything to,” Will whispered against her mouth.
“I know.
B
ut thank you for telling me
.”
A scuffling behind them in the bo
xwood jarred her
.
She
darted her head around. “What was that?”
He frowned.
“A ra
bbit, or someone spying on us.
We may be featu
red in the papers lip-locked
.”
Julia susp
ected something
more sinister.
“
Will,
if anything happens to you, I’ll die.”
He touched the gold heart at her throat
. “Take heart, Jules.
You and I
are an even more powerful combination
than Cole and Will alone
.”
“
Praemonitus
Praemunitus
,”
she
said, using the Latin for
the saying, ‘Forewarned is forearmed.’
“Exactly,” Will concurred.
B
ut had they sufficiently heeded the warning?
Will
took Julia firmly by the hand.
“Come
with me
and
greet the guests.”
“I thought I was the help
and only here to serve,” she reminded him, overwhelmed at the thought of meeting so many people.
His eyes tw
inkled at her
.
“We’ll just see about that
, my girl,
”
he said, mimicking Nora.
“Now, mind your manners.”
He
was too
breathta
kingly gorgeous to refuse.
The
velvety green coat, fitted sable breeches, and black boots, set off his decadent
ly rich
brown eyes and hair, and muscular figure to its best
possible
advantage.
What little resistance Julia had crumbled.
Will
led her to the front entrance and planted
her at his left.
Nora
, regal in purple silk, stood at his right, her head erect, like a queen about to receive courtiers.
Only the cane detracted from her
otherwise proud posture.
Julia wet her lips
, dewy
with gloss,
and sm
oothed the curling tendrils
at
her temple
.
Charlotte had
woven strings of seed pearls into her long
bra
id
and wound it on her head.
The magnificent
violet gown
Julia wore plunged
lower in front than she was accustomed to, but
was
the fashion for
the
ea
rly nineteenth century, the period
Nora had decreed for the ball.
W
ill’s appreciative gaze dipped
to her chest and
lift
ed
to her eyes with a
wink.
“Does the help sleep with the lord of the manner at his bidding?” he whispered in her ear.
Julia stifled a gasp
.
Nora was only
a few
feet away.
He
blew lightly
in her ear.
“Tonight.
My chamber.”
She had no opportunity to reply to his heart-swelling summons, this was it
.
T
hey were coming.
Everyone who was anyone would be here, Nora had said, and they were. Julia had never seen so many splendidly attired people, at least not in this lifetime. If the glorious hues of sunset and
rich
depth of twilight could be captured in ladies
’
gowns and gentlemen’s coats, then Foxleigh was aglow with the celestial palette.
Will had ordered valet parki
ng for the many invited guests.
Attendants were kept busy and a steady stream of visitors pas
sed before Julia’s dazed eyes.
She nodded politel
y and shook endless hands, offering interminable
‘how do you dos,’ and, ‘I’m so glad you could
come
s
.’
Most faces were unfamiliar with titles like mayor, judge, reverend, rabbi, prominent businessmen and wo
men, professors, lawyers...people
of every profession and many
from the upper social strata.
Julia willed herself to attach a name to them for later reference.
So distracted was she by all
of
the guests,
her mounti
ng angst for the fateful night
momentarily diminished.
But fear was ever present in the back of her mind.
A familiar
face s
urfaced in the continual flow.
Douglas, florid and perspiring as usual, was accompanied by
his ingratiating wife and high society
daughter.
Nelle
had fo
rgone period costume as Nora
sti
pulated and poured her bountiful
curve
s into a little black dress.
She smiled at Will with open
, even eager,
invitation in her feline eyes.
“Good evening, Mrs.
Wentworth
, Will,” she purred.
“I see you’re still here,” she added dismissively to Julia. “How’s the guide trade?”
“Just fine,” W
ill answered for her.
“Though Miss Morrow has many hidden talents.”
“I’ll just bet,”
Nelle
said dryly.
“I was referring to her acting prowess, for one.”
Nelle
a
rched a cynical penciled brow. “Ah.
And will Miss Morrow be returning to England to finish out high school, or whatever it is she does, at summer’s end?”
The jab was so biting
Julia simply stared at her
.
Not Will.
His
aplomb
intact
,
he
hurl
ed the gauntlet,
raising h
is voice for all to hear.
“Now
you mention it,
this is an excellent time to announce that I’ve found none to equal sweet Julia in any way and have asked her to be my
wife.
She has accepted and will
be staying on at Foxleigh.”