Forever Mine Read online

  The color suddenly drained from Eleanor’s face and shock flashed across her pale features followed by a look of such intense fear that it contorted her lovely face into something ugly. Instantly, Nicholas leaned toward her with the intent to ensure she wasn’t unwell. Just as quickly as the horror had appeared on Eleanor’s face, a mask of polite interest covered her features.

  Curious as to the reason for Eleanor’s reaction, Nicholas turned his head to see Victoria standing in the salon doorway. The desire he’d experienced earlier returned with the strength of a raging storm. He wasn’t sure what made him angrier, her defiance of his order to stay in bed or his inability to control the need burning its way through his limbs. Nicholas quickly moved toward her, ignoring the twinge of pain that shot through his leg.

  “I told you to stay in bed,” he whispered roughly. She looked up at him and smiled. The warmth in her eyes made a knot form in his throat.

  “I wasn’t sleepy. Besides, as I recall, you expect me to make a scene. I’d hate to disappoint you.” The amusement in her quiet retort make him want to throttle her and laugh at the same time. The realization startled him. Nicholas grasped her arm and pulled her deeper into the room.

  “I believe you’ve met everyone here, except for Eleanor.” He guided Victoria forward to where Eleanor sat. “Victoria, may I present Eleanor Legette, Duchess du Chatelaine. Eleanor, my wife, the Countess of Guildford.”

  “Hello,” Victoria said as she extended her hand to Eleanor. With an imperious nod of her head, the duchess ignored Victoria’s outstretched hand.

  “Lady Guildford.” It was an obvious effort on Eleanor’s part to gain the upper hand in terms of pecking order. “Forgive me, Nicholas, but wasn’t your wife thought to be dead.”

  “I’m sure he wishes I was at the moment,” Victoria murmured, and he glared in her direction.

  Her mischievous smile caught him off guard, and he realized she was completely unperturbed by Eleanor’s cold manner. The woman he’d married would never have allowed Eleanor’s behavior to go unremarked upon. What kind of game was she playing? The sound of violent coughing made Nicholas look in Anna’s direction. The sight of his friend struggling not to laugh made him realize she’d overheard Victoria’s blithe comment. He glared at first Anna and then Victoria only to have both women return his glare with unrepentant looks before he turned back to Eleanor.

  “As you can see for yourself, Victoria is alive and well.”

  “So it would seem,” the duchess snapped, but the fear he’d seen earlier flickered in her cold blue eyes once more.

  “Nicholas has told us you’ve lost your memory,” Anna said as she stood up to face Victoria. “I take it you don’t recognize me?”

  “No, I’m afraid I don’t.” Victoria shook her head.

  “I’m Anna Redding, the Viscountess Starling,” she said as she offered her hand to Victoria.

  As the two women shook hands, Anna paled and a brief flash of shock swept over her face. Unless one knew Anna well, it was impossible to detect that shaking Victoria’s hand had upset her. But he’d known Sebastian’s wife for a long time, and Anna was struggling to control her surprise. Anna’s gaze moved from Victoria’s face to seek out her husband’s. Silent exchanges weren’t unusual between the couple, but this was different.

  It was almost as if Anna were signaling her husband for help. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sebastian moving quickly to his wife’s side. Despite her disconcerted state, Anna smiled at Victoria. Her hand reached up to touch her husband’s hand as it settled on her shoulder.

  “And this handsome devil is my husband, Sebastian.”

  “Hello,” Victoria offered her hand to Sebastian who bowed and kissed the back of her hand. Clearly surprised, a warm flush of color rose in her cheeks as she quickly pulled her hand free of Sebastian’s. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought Victoria was unaccustomed to the polite gesture of greeting.

  “It must be extremely unsettling for you not having any memory of the past,” Anna said with a soft note of curiosity in her voice.

  “Frightening is a better word.” Victoria’s expression grew somber as she bit her lip in a display of distress. Suddenly her face lightened and a smile curved her lips. “Although I think my reputation for having a very unpleasant personality is much more intimidating.”

  Anna laughed at Victoria’s confession, and Nicholas saw Sebastian raise his eyebrows before a smile curved his lips. Damnation, the woman was determined to charm everyone she met. God help him if she decided to entice him into her seductive spider web. A part of him acknowledged that he’d already had one foot in that web. With a small sweep of her hand, Anna took charge of making the rest of the introductions.

  “How terrible for you,” Catherine exclaimed as she shook Victoria’s hand. “Do you mean to say you don’t remember where you’ve been these past three weeks?”

  “Actually I don’t remember anything before waking up in the cottage.”

  “I’d venture to say that bruise you have has a great deal to do with your memory loss,” the Viscount Palmerton stated pragmatically as he nodded toward Victoria’s head. John frowned as he studied her head. “Quite a nasty bump you have there.”

  Victoria reached up to touch the large bruise and cut on her forehead, and Nicholas quickly caught her hand to stop her from touching the wound. She jerked her gaze toward him and smiled as if understanding he was preventing her from doing further damage to her injury. Something tightened in his gut as he wondered if her changed behavior was related to the blow she’d taken to her head.

  All her lies in the past made him unwilling to believe anything she’d said. Instead, he’d simply judged her and condemned her in one fell swoop. What if he was wrong? Nicholas almost snorted at the direction of his thoughts. His wife was simply a skilled actress, and he refused to be taken in by her exceptional performance.

  Still, it was impossible not to admire the way she calmly fielded the multitude of questions from his friends. Unexpected concern flooded him as one of Charles’ questions made her flinch. The sudden urge to protect her made him clear his throat and waved his hand in a peremptory fashion.

  “I think we should forego any further inquiries for the moment so as not to overtire Victoria.”

  “Really, Nicholas, you’re treating your wife as if she were a fragile piece of china, which we all know she isn’t. I’m sure Lady Guildford is far more resilient than you think, mon cher.”

  Eleanor’s voice rang out in the room as the cacophony of questioning voices ebbed away. The mockery in the duchess’ voice set Nicholas on edge. Whether Victoria was telling the truth or not, she did not deserve to be insulted in her own home. Before he could say a word, a hand touched his arm. Startled he looked down to see Victoria shake her head.

  “I’ve never been much for titles, Eleanor, so please call me Victoria.” There was no rancor or sarcasm in her smile as she met the duchess’ imperious gaze. “And you’re right. I am far more resilient than Nicholas is willing to admit. But, I’m grateful for his concern. I’m surprised he’s able to tolerate me at all considering my bad reputation.”

  Hate and fear filled the venomous look Eleanor cast in Victoria’s direction. He was just about to put himself between the two women when Jamieson appeared in the salon doorway and announced dinner. Everyone looked to Victoria, but she simply stared back in confusion. Anna smiled.

  “It’s customary for the hostess to direct which gentleman escorts which lady into dinner, my dear.”

  “Oh.” Victoria’s blank look made Nicholas take pity on her.

  “Charles, will you take Eleanor into supper? Sebastian if you’ll escort Catherine, John can escort Victoria, and I’ll accompany Anna,” he said. His direction did not make Eleanor happy, but at the moment he could care less. With Anna on his arm, they walked toward the doorway.

  “I like her, Nicholas,” his friend murmured. That Anna would say such a thing amazed him. There had never been any
love lost between the two women.

  “It’s an act.”

  “If you mean her skill at hiding how terrified she is, then yes it’s an extraordinary performance.”

  “The only fear my wife has ever shown has been where horses are concerned.”

  “You misjudge her, Nicholas,” Anna said firmly. “She is who she says she is.”

  “What the devil is that supposed to mean?”

  “You know precisely what it means.” Anna met his gaze and eyed him as sternly as a nanny might a child in her charge. “I know Sebastian has told you about…my ability to determine the worth of a person with just a handshake.”

  “Are you trying to tell me—”

  “I’m telling you that the woman I shook hands with is not Vickie.”

  The emphatic note in Anna’s voice made Nicholas’ jaw go rigid. Although he’d always been skeptical of his friend’s intuitive manner, he couldn’t remember a time when she’d been wrong. A voice in the back of his head reminded him that there was always a first time.

  Throughout the evening meal, Eleanor’s flirtations slowly became tedious. Even more annoying was the amusement on Victoria’s face whenever he glanced in her direction. He was certain she knew Eleanor’s behavior annoyed him, and he didn’t enjoy the fact that she was aware of his discomfort.

  “If you continue to frown like that Nicholas, your forehead is apt to stay wrinkled.” Seated to his right at the dinner table, Anna’s light-hearted words made him smile.

  “I didn’t realize I was frowning.”

  “Obviously. It must be a very serious matter you’re considering.”

  “Not so serious that I should neglect my duties as host.”

  “Then tell us what excitement you have planned for us tomorrow?” Still smiling, Anna took a helping of fresh vegetables from the platter a servant held in front of her. Seated on the opposite side of the table, Viscountess Palmerton set her wine glass down.

  “Yes, Nicholas, are we to ride in the morning as we usually do? You always have the best mounts of anyone we know.”

  “Yes,” he said with a nod in Catherine’s direction. “I bought several new horses at Tattersall’s last month. I’ve been told they’ve settled in quite nicely.”

  “And will you join us, Lady Guildford?” Smiling like a well-fed cat, Eleanor looked in Victoria’s direction. His wife’s loathing of horses was a fairly well-known fact among the Set, and Eleanor’s question caught the attention of everyone at the table. Silence filled the air until Nicholas smiled and lifted his wine glass in a mocking toast to his wife.

  “Victoria is not an avid rider, are you my dear.” A streak of devilish satisfaction flashed through him as he met Victoria’s gaze over the rim of his glass. “However, should my wife decide to join us, I’ll have one of the older, more reliable, horses saddled for her.”

  Victoria narrowed her eyes as she studied him for a moment. She might have managed to act her way through that ride on Zeus, but anything beyond that wasn’t possible. Deep in the back of his head, he heard mocking laughter and forced himself to ignore it. Victoria’s gaze never left his, and he waited patiently to see how she’d extricate herself from the morning ride so that he’d be able to expose her charade.

  “The answer to your question, Eleanor, is yes. I’ll be riding tomorrow.” Victoria’s quiet response made Nicholas stiffen as he slowly set his glass back on the table. What the devil did the woman think she was doing?

  “I was under the impression that you do not ride, Lady Guildford,” Eleanor said with a disagreeable frown.

  “Then you’ve been misinformed.” Victoria smiled defiantly.

  Silence reigned for several awkward seconds before the conversation resumed. When they’d finished dinner, they returned to the salon. For Nicholas, the evening dragged on interminably with Eleanor continuing with her attempts to provoke Victoria. To his continuous amazement, Victoria seemed oblivious to the duchess’ barbs as she quietly listened to Anna and Catherine’s conversation.

  Victoria was the first to excuse herself for the evening, which he found extraordinary. His wife never retired early, particularly if there was another woman in the room whom she viewed as competition. Nicholas frowned as he caught a glimpse of the weariness she was hiding from the others. She had the look of someone exhausted from shock. Perhaps he’d been harder on her today than he should have been. He stopped her as she headed toward the door. She winced as she met his gaze.

  “Is your head still bothering you?” he murmured.

  “A little, but I’ll manage.” The weak smile touching her lips aroused his protective instincts. It was a strange sensation to have where his wife was concerned, and he wasn’t sure he liked the feeling.

  “Do you wish me to escort you upstairs?”

  “No,” she said with a soft laugh. “I’m not the helpless female, your duchess is.”

  “She’s not my duchess.” He eyed her coldly, and she blinked at him in obvious surprise at his brusque response.

  “Well, you’d better tell her that,” Victoria said without malice or sarcasm as she chuckled. “The woman is definitely on the prowl, and whether you like it or not, you’re her next meal.”

  With a mischievous smile, she walked around him and left the room. As he stared after her, he heard Eleanor’s plaintive call for him to join her at the card table. Slowly he turned and rejoined his friends with Victoria’s words ringing in his ears. She seemed completely unconcerned that he might be engaged in a liaison with Eleanor. The realization confused him. And he didn’t like being confused about anything.

  Chapter 8

  One by one, his guests retired for the night until he and Eleanor were the only ones left in the salon. Their card game was almost finished, and he was eager to be done with her company. She laid a card down in the middle of the table, and Nicholas took the winning trick with a careless gesture. He didn’t bother to gather the cards to shuffle them, and Eleanor rose gracefully from her chair to stand at his side.

  “You look so troubled, mon cher, tell me what’s wrong.” Her fingers lightly stroked his forehead. Nicholas caught her narrow wrist and pushed her hand away. Rising to his feet, he crossed the floor to the liquor cart to pour a small amount of brandy into his snifter.

  “While I appreciate your concern, Eleanor, I have no need of comfort.”

  “Surely you can’t mean that,” she said in a voice that held the assurance of a woman determined to find her way into a man’s bed.

  “I do, Eleanor, and I’m not interested in furthering our friendship beyond its current boundaries.”

  “But we would be so good together, Nicholas,” she exclaimed softly. “You know we would.”

  “No, I don’t think we would suit each other at all,” he mused as he studied his brandy for a second before taking a drink of the smooth liquor.

  “How can I make you believe me, Nicholas? I could make you happy.”

  The pleading expression softening her features emphasized the heartfelt emotion threading through her words. Caught off-guard, he stared at her for a long moment. Was it possible Eleanor truly cared for him? If so, then he’d done her a disservice by not having this conversation with her sooner.

  “I have no interest in taking a mistress, Eleanor. I’m a married—”

  “How do you know she’s your wife?” Eleanor interrupted angrily. The question sent a chill through Nicholas as he met her gaze.

  “Exactly what are you implying, Eleanor?”

  “She does not act like the Vickie everyone knows,” she said with a defiant tilt of her chin. “We all saw it. What if she’s an imposter?”

  An icy chill slid through Nicholas at the harsh words. Eleanor was right. So certain his wife’s behavior was an elaborate charade, he’d failed to realize others might come to a different conclusion. The repercussions of others thinking his wife was an imposter could be devastating. The memory of Victoria adamantly stating she wasn’t his wife made his gut twist violently.


  Was it possible he’d erred in his judgment? If he had, then he’d forced Victoria into playing the role of his wife. Her innocence would be difficult to prove after his announcement of her return. Worse, if she was an imposter, where was Vickie? Angry at the ludicrous direction of his thoughts, he sucked in a breath and released it then glared at the duchess.

  “For the past three weeks, the rumors of foul play surrounding my wife’s disappearance have hung like Damocles’ sword over my head, Eleanor,” he said through clenched teeth. “I do not appreciate the suggestion that I’ve replaced my wife with an imposter.”

  “Dear God, Nicholas,” Eleanor exclaimed as she hurried forward to touch his arm. “I would never suggest something so reprehensible. But Vickie was gone for such a long time. It would be easy for an imposter to take advantage of you and take her place.”

  “Now you’re questioning my ability to recognize my own wife,” he snapped.

  “No, of course, not.” Eleanor shook her head in dismay. “Nicholas, you mis—”

  “My wife has suffered an injury to her head, Eleanor. It has clearly affected her behavior,” he said coldly. “I’ve no doubt she’ll be back to her usual antics in the near future.”

  “Vickie’s behavior need not destroy what we have, Nicholas. I know—”

  “We have nothing but friendship between us, Eleanor. If you thought otherwise, I’m sorry.”

  “Oh please, Nicholas,” she whispered as both her hands clutched at his arms as though he were a lifeline. “Please don’t push me out of your life. I cannot bear the thought of it.”

  The desperate note in her voice made him frown as he looked into her terror-glazed eyes. Narrowing his gaze, he studied her expression with curiosity. As if aware she had somehow given something away, she took a quick step back and looked away.

  “If you do not mind, Nicholas, I should like to leave first thing in the morning.” The strain in her voice vibrated with something more than rejection, but he was at a loss to decipher what it was. She moved toward the salon door then paused and turned her head toward him. “Would you be so kind as to explain to the others that I remembered a previous engagement?”