Midnight Masqerade Page 13

  It wasn't just that Julius had been prepared to sell her to the highest bidder. There had been more than one unsavory incident attached to his name. Too well did Dominic remember the scandal which had erupted when Latimer had fought a duel and killed a young man just up from the country, a mere boy too green to recognize a skilled and unscrupulous gambler like Latimer. There had been nasty whispers, too, about a beggar's maid who had died beneath the wheels of Latimer's carriage.

  Reflectively, Dominic stared out into the darkness. He had not liked Julius on sight, and right from the beginning there had been a thinly veiled hostility between the two of them. Oh, they were civil to one another, but they tended to circle each other like wary cats, tensed for the first antagonistic move. It wasn't until Latimer had deliberately and maliciously filled Deborah's ears with wicked lies about him that Dominic had begun to fully realize just how totally unprincipled Latimer was, how determined he was to see that his sister married only the man of his choice-a rich man, to be sure, but one whom Latimer could control. Once Dominic had discovered the reason behind Deborah's sudden aversion to him, it had been too late to retrieve the situation between them, the mixture of lies and half-truths too cleverly interwoven to be unraveled. He had gained satisfaction, though, by challenging Latimer to a duel.

  When they had finally met, his heart and pride smarting, suffering from the hurt caused by Latimer, for the first time in his life Dominic had let rage rule him-which was why his shot had gone through Latimer's arm instead of his heart.

  Breaking the silence that had fallen, Dominic said suddenly, "I shouldn't have missed the bastard!"

  Royce nodded in agreement. "If nothing else, it would have saved you from that beating by those rogues Latimer hired. "

  Dominic winced. The beating had not only left him sore and bruised for weeks, it had further dented his pride. He had been aware of an uneasy feeling that if some of his friends had not happened along when they did, Latimer's unsavory cronies would have finished their job and killed him. Aloud, he merely said, "I think that is what galls me so. We know that he was guilty of what happened, but there was nothing to lay before a magistrate, so he goes free as the air."

  "I can countenance his freedom easier than I can meeting him in my mother's drawing room," Royce muttered. "It is all I can do to greet him civilly, but he has entree everywhere. " Royce frowned. "I've tried to delicately warn my father that Latimer is not the sort of man one allows to run tame through one's home, but beyond telling him that Latimer's reputation in London was reprehensible, I have nothing tangible with which to back up my assertions. If anything, the fact that he is a well-known London rake gives him a certain cachet, and my reluctance to have anything to do with him makes me look churlish and jealous of his popularity amongst the local plantation owners." Cynically he finished, "Our countrymen are fascinated by what they think is a proper English gentleman in their midst-they hang on his every word believing he is an arbiter of fashion, a veritable Beau Brummell, if you will. The fact that he so strenuously espouses our cause in this ridiculous war with England makes him even more in demand with the gentlemen. And the ladies! They adore him!"

  "Including Miss Seymour?" Dominic asked unexpectedly, startling both of them by his question.

  An interested gleam in his eyes, Royce glanced at Dominic. "Now why would you want to know that, I wonder?"

  Cursing his unruly tongue, Dominic replied stiffly, "I was just curious-Zachary didn't seem to dislike him, and I just . . . "

  Royce looked so smugly satisfied that Dominic swore aloud and said tightly, "Oh, never mind! I don't want to know anyway! I'm sick of talking about Latimer, and as for Deborah, I hope being married to the very old, very rich Earl of Bowden and being able to style herself `countess' is worth having to put up with a half-mad husband!"

  Hesitating a second, Royce finally asked quietly, "Dom, are you really over your calf love for Deborah?"

  Surprise written across his face, Dominic stared at his friend. "Good Lord, yes!" he said wryly. "It was only a touch of madness, and you don't have to worry that I am secretly nursing a broken heart. The affair may have wounded me at the time, but it was not serious."

  "I'm very glad to hear that. You are bound to meet Deborah here socially sooner or later." With no inflection in his voice, Royce added, "You may not know this, but the earl died rather suddenly, an indecently short time after he and Deborah were married-an accident, it was. It seems he drank too heavily one night and fell down a flight of stairs and broke his neck. He died instantly."

  "And was dear brother Latimer visiting at the time?"

  "How strange you should ask!" Their eyes meeting in perfect understanding, Royce said, "He had arrived just that evening, so I am told. It was he who discovered the body and broke the sad news to his sweet sister."

  Dominic made an exclamation of disgust. "And so Latimer once again gets what he wants-not only his sister back under his hand, but control of a fortune in the bargain."

  "Not quite. I have a friend in England, and he wrote me a most interesting letter about the entire affair, including the dispersal of the old earl's estates. There were no children of the marriage, naturally, and since most of the earl's fortune was entailed, the bulk of it went to his brother. The Lady Deborah was left only a small pension ... which ends if she remarries.

  A sardonic smile curved his handsome mouth, and Dominic muttered, "So there is justice of sorts!"

  "I suppose one could say so," Royce admitted lightly. "But, like all cats, Latimer seems always to land on his feet. He may have been denied the earl's fortune, but I'm afraid he is still going to get his hands on a fortune, albeit a much smaller one. " _

  Frowning, Dominic asked, "The note that Zachary mentioned? I don't mean to pry, but I don't quite understand the connection between Latimer and the Seymours. And from what I do know of Latimer, he never had that kind of money!"

  "The original holder of the note was old Weatherby, Latimer's uncle. When Weatherby died, Latimer's inheritance was a long overdue voucher, and I suspect it will remain long overdue ... unless, of course, Melissa decides to marry."

  At Dominic's look of total incomprehension, Royce laughed and briefly explained the trust that his grandfather had left for Melissa, Zachary and his mother, Sally.

  Somewhat cynically, Dominic murmured, "And you believe that Latimer is willing to wait two more years before laying his hands on money?"

  "Well, he doesn't have to wait that long," Royce said coolly. "He may decide to marry Melissa himself."

  For some unknown reason, Dominic found that idea extremely distasteful. He told himself it was because he objected to Latimer gaining a fortune so easily, although he was certain that marriage to Melissa Seymour would be a living hell for any man. Still, the thought of her married to Latimer rankled, and even after he and Royce had said good night to each other and sought out their separate rooms, the unpleasant notion lingered. Lingered to such an extent that he woke up the next morning with it in the forefront of his mind, and he was in rather a foul mood when he realized that once again he was wasting an inordinate amount of time thinking about Miss Seymour. What disturbed him most of all, though, was the fact that he could not decide precisely which aspect of a SeymourLatimer alliance bothered him the most-Latimer getting his undoubtedly bloodstained, greedy hands on a fortune he didn't deserve, or Melissa being married to such a base creature. By Heaven, he vowed rashly to himself, before I'd let even an infuriating shrew like her be chained to a blackguard like Latimer, I'd marry her myself! The fact that he wouldn't object to Latimer marrying anyone else except Melissa didn't even cross his thoughts.

  Entering the dining room, he discovered that Royce was already there ahead of him, perusing a letter as he drank a cup of black, steaming coffee.

  Royce looked up and grinned at Dominic's entrance. "My father writes that I should invite you to come back with me."

  Dominic smiled and shook his head. "No, thank you! I have too much to do here. Be
sides, I know a matchmaker when I see one, and your father has a gleam in his eye whenever he mentions Melissa's name that makes me nervous! "

  "Ah, yes, of course." A suspiciously innocent expression appeared on Royce's handsome face as he added, "I wonder why she wrote to you."

  "Melissa wrote to me?" Dominic demanded in a tone of great astonishment. "Whatever for?"

  "I really don't know, but a letter to you from her arrived minutes after mine. Why don't you open it and read it yourself? It's lying there next to your plate."

  With clumsy haste, Dominic tore open the letter, his heartbeat accelerating pleasurably ... at first. Then, as the import of Melissa's letter sank in, his face darkened and in a voice filled with loathing he spat, "Your cousin is mad! After refusing to even let me see her precious damned horse, she now proposes to sell it to me-for twenty-five thousand dollars!"

  Royce's eyebrows rose, as much because of Melissa's outrageous offer as because of Dominic's uncharacteristic rage. "I wonder why," he mused slowly.

  "I don't give a damn why!" Dominic growled. "But we're leaving for Baton Rouge this morning. I'm going to see that blasted horse before she changes her mind-and then I'm going to tell her exactly what I think of her ridiculous offer! Twenty-five thousand dollars! he snorted.

  "She must be mad!"

  Chapter Nine

  IF ROYCE thought Dominic's sudden decision to return to Baton Rouge odd, especially in view of his flat refusal to do so only seconds previously, he wisely kept his own counsel. But he could not help the tiny grin that twitched at the corner of his mouth as Dominic immediately set in motion plans to leave Thousand Oaks. If he didn't know better, he would think that his friend was most eager to see his cousin once more-and this despite the curses Dominic called down upon Melissa's head as valises were hastily packed and horses saddled.

  Within the hour they were ready to set out, Dominic leaving behind a stack of hastily written instructions for his overseer and stablemaster. He conferred briefly with the Thomases, giving them carte blanche for any necessities they deemed vital for the efficient running of the plantation. Feeling that he had everything under control at Thousand Oaks, with a strong sense of anticipation he mounted his horse and he and Royce departed.

  They rode in companionable silence for several minutes as their horses trotted easily down the dirt road that led . away from the plantation. Conversation, when it began, was desultory, but eventually the topic foremost in both their minds was introduced when Royce invited Dominic to stay at Oak Hollow while in Baton Rouge.

  Sending Royce a wry glance, he murmured, "I think it best if I stay at the tavern where we dined with young Seymour." Then he added harshly, "I have no intention of remaining in the area longer than necessary-and what I have to do will not take very long! "

  Looking across at his friend's dark face, Royce mused aloud, "I wonder what made Melissa change her mind about selling the stallion. She has always been very adamant about keeping him."

  Dominic had his own ideas about why Melissa had done such a baffling turnabout; he had thought of little else since he had first read her letter. Even while he had been busily scrawling instructions to his retainers and speaking to the housekeeper and her husband, one part of his mind had been keenly reviewing all he knew about Miss Seymour . . . and Julius Latimer.

  Keeping his voice neutral, he replied, "If I didn't know better, I would stick to my original assumption-that your cousin is mad, or merely doing this to annoy me. But I find it most peculiar that she would offer to sell the horse for such a ridiculous amount. No one will pay that kind of money for an animal-especially since the amount she asked for is exactly what is owed to Latimer."

  Royce looked startled and then, as the significance of this sank in, his eyes darkened with anger. "You think that Latimer is behind this? That he is forcing Melissa to sell the horse?"

  Dominic nodded slowly. "We both know that Latimer is a greedy bastard and we also both know that no matter how he may pretend to enjoy his stay here, it is just thatpretense." Smiling grimly, Dominic went on. "Latimer hates the country and he holds a scathingly low opinion of anything that remotely resembles bucolic pleasures. Remember how he could not be pried away from London no matter what the season, how he spoke so contemptuously of rustic bumpkins and the lack of amenities to be found in the country? Latimer is a dandy, a mincing fop-he is far happier in the sophisticated environs of London than in some provincial little town like Baton Rouge! New Orleans would be more to his taste, yet he has remained in what, to him, must be very inelegant and crude surroundings for several months. Only money," Dominic said flatly, "would keep him here, and I suspect that he has grown tired of waiting and has demanded that Melissa pay him."

  "And since," Royce began thoughtfully, "the only thing Melissa owns of any value besides the plantation and that, technically, is Zachary's-is her horse, she is trying to meet his demands by selling Folly for as much money as she can get." He shot Dominic a speculative glance before saying slyly, "Of course, she could marry him-that way he would get her share of the trust and the horse! "

  Dominic had already considered that possibility and, to Royce's disappointment, showed no sign of expression as he replied blandly, "Yes, it's true Latimer might be contemplating such an act. But the very fact that Melissa wrote to me makes it clear that she doesn't want to be married to him."

  Royce snorted. "Melissa doesn't want to be married to anyone! She and my father have been arguing about that subject since she turned seventeen!"

  "There is something else," Dominic said quietly, "that we haven't discussed. Latimer may not have given her a choice. Can you see him married? He is far more likely to have offered to make your cousin his mistress rather than his wife!"

  "By God!" Royce blazed. "If that blackguard has laid a finger on Melissa . . ."

  Conversation lapsed after that, and it was with an increasing sense of urgency that the two men rode toward their destination. For Royce, the situation was simple: if Latimer had dared to make a dishonorable proposal to Melissa, he would kill him and that would be that! But for Dominic, there was no easy solution for the dilemma in which he found himself.

  He was furious, annoyed, concerned and appalled at what was happening inside him, but those emotions did not disturb him as much as did the trickle of fear that slid down his spine whenever he thought of Melissa in Latimer's power. Fear was not an emotion with which he was familiar, nor had he ever experienced the surge of fierce protectiveness that swept through him when he reflected on what sort of pressure might have been brought to bear upon Melissa to compel her to write what must have been an extremely difficult letter. And paradoxically, because she aroused all those conflicting emotions within him, he grew even more furious about the entire situation. It was ridiculous! he told himself through gritted teeth. Ridiculous and incomprehensible that a woman he didn't even like, for God's sake, could cause him to act so precipitously. Damning her, damning himself, he rode steadily toward Baton Rouge, his mood growing surlier by the hour.

  Royce and Dominic had not pushed their horses, although they had traveled at a brisk rate, and consequently it was nearing dusk the next day before they reached their destination. Despite Dominic's protestations to the contrary, Royce insisted upon accompanying him to the tavern where he planned to stay.

  "I want to see you settled before I arrive home. My father will be disappointed that you are not with me, and I want to be able to soothe his ruffled sensibilities by assuring him that I saw you comfortably disposed before I left you," Royce told him with a smile.

  Dominic sent him a dry look. "Hoping the tavern has no rooms?"

  Royce laughed. "Ah, saw through me, did you? Oh, well, you can't blame a fellow for trying."

  There was no difficulty in Dominic's procuring a room for himself, and shortly thereafter the two friends bade each other good-bye. Dominic promised that as soon as he had seen Melissa and spied out the situation, he would ride over and talk to Royce.

 
; Royce had not disappeared from sight before Dominic was writing a note to Melissa, informing her of his presence in Baton Rouge and also explaining that he would be at Willowglen at eleven o'clock tomorrow morning to view Folly if she was still of a mind to sell him. A sardonic smile on his lips, he tossed a coin to a nearby urchin and requested him to deliver the missive to Miss Seymour at Willowglen.

  If Melissa was surprised at the promptness of the reply to her desperate note to Dominic, she gave no sign of it when his letter to her was delivered that evening. She was startled, though, to discover that he was already here in Baton Rouge and that her outrageous price had not seemed to faze him.

  The four days which had passed since Melissa had sent off her letter to Dominic had not been easy ones for her, and with a feeling of impending doom she had waited almost apathetically for the first of July to arrive. Realistically, she faced the unpalatable fact that it was highly unlikely that she would escape from the trap Latimer had set for her. During the past four nights she had done nothing but lie awake and search frantically for some escape from the horrid fate closing rapidly in on her. Her skin crawled to think of Latimer touching her in an intimate way, and she spent a good part of each night dwelling fondly on ways in which to kill him before he dishonored her. She turned over wildly improbable schemes in her mind. The most obvious one was the ending of the trust, but even when she had made a second trip to see Mr. Smithfield, asking about the dissolution of the trust upon her marriage or proposed marriage, she had come away deeply depressed. It seemed that she had forgotten one minor clause: the trust would end upon her marriage, but the money would not be dispersed until thirty days after she married. A mirthless laugh had come from her. So even if she could have found a man willing to marry her within an indecently short time, it wouldn't have done any good. It was only later that she wondered if Latimer had known that fact when he made his infamous offer....