It was the second full day of the Heathingtons’ house party, and Emily finally ventured downstairs alone. The first evening, when she’d seen Lord Wilton was among the guests, all the memories of her first season slammed into her like a herd of runaway horses. After that, she had carefully avoided being alone except for in the chambers she and Cooper had been given. That morning, he had tried to entice her to join him for a morning ride, but she had preferred to remain in bed a bit longer. After all, her husband had kept her up quite late with his amorous attentions.

Thinking it still early for most of the guests to be up and about, she had slipped down to the library to find something to read while she nibbled on a roll and sipped her morning tea. Book in hand, she turned from the shelves only to find Lord Wilton closing the door of the room. When he turned the lock, the snick of the tumblers falling into place made her jump and squeeze the book she held tightly to her chest.

“At last, Lady Emmaline. I have been seeking a moment of your time, but you seem always to be surrounded by friends,” he said as he crossed the space between them.

Objectively, Emily knew Lord Wilton was a handsome man. But after his poor treatment of her during her first season, which in truth ruined her following seasons, she could only think of the man as ugly. “I cannot imagine what you might desire, but I am sure it is of little consequence.”

She lifted her chin and strode forward, making to pass him and depart the room. But he reached out and grabbed her upper arm in a bruising grip.

“Oh, do be a good girl and stay a moment.” His tone was pleasant on the surface, but the words were intended to demean.

She jerked away from him, though she was unable to break his surprisingly strong grip. “I am a woman, my lord. And I refuse to stay and be further mistreated by you. I suggest you release my arm at once.”

“Oh-ho! You are a lively one. How was it I missed this fire in you before?” His words were more a spoken thought than a conversational sally.

Without further discussion, he hauled her into his arms and plucked the book from her protective hold. Her stomach dropped and then did a slow nauseating roll as he lowered his mouth toward hers in an attempt to kiss her. Images from her first season assailed her. Unlike then, as a naïve debutant with little feminine guidance, when she merely turned her cheek, this time she pulled back and pressed her now-free hands to his chest to ensure he could not close the distance.

“What is this? Certainly you are not refusing my attentions?” He seemed shocked by her reluctance.

They struggled for a moment, her efforts to extract herself causing his clothes to be disordered. “My lord, unhand me this minute. I am a married woman. A happily married woman.”

Despite her best efforts, he held on tight.

“I see, you like it forceful, do you?” He leered but did not release her. Instead, he tossed her down on the nearby settee and then landed on top of her, crushing her skirts.

When he started to tug them up, hoops and all, she knew she had to do something, or things would get much, much worse than they currently were.

As he lifted his weight once more to yank at her skirts, she waited until her leg was free enough, and then she jerked her knee up toward his groin. To her dismay, she missed her particular target; however, she did hit close enough to it to send him scurrying away in some pain while trying to protect his jewels.

She leapt to her feet, her dress falling back into place despite being wrinkled beyond repair. “If you know what is good for you, my lord, you will leave this house party at once. Should I tell my husband of what you tried, I am certain he will exact his own retribution. I cannot say for certain that you would survive such an occurrence.”

With that, she spun on her heel and stormed for the door. Forgetting in her haste that it was locked, she grabbed the handle and wrestled with it for a moment. Finally, she remembered the lock and released it, letting her open the door. She calmly walked down the hallway, waiting to turn the corner before she broke into a run, desperate to get back to her rooms before she bumped into anyone.

* * *

Cooper watched his wife leave the library. He’d started to call out to her, but something seemed off about her demeanor. By the time he thought to check on her, she was around the corner.

He was about to make haste after her when Lord Wilton strolled out of the library. He looked up from his personal disarray and winked at Cooper. “Quite the hellion, that one.”

Fury sparked in his belly as he imagined what that bastard might have done to his wife. How the philandering popinjay might have attempted to take liberties with her person. Because his hellion was loyal and steadfast, she would never betray him with another man. But what he could believe was that something was not right. Something untoward had occurred, and he planned to get to the bottom of it.

With a growl born of pure anger, Cooper grabbed Wilton and shoved him against the nearest wall. “What did you do to my wife?”

Fear and uncertainty replaced the cockiness that had resided in Wilton’s gaze only moments before. “I… I don’t know what you mean.”

Cooper pulled the coward forward and then slammed him back against the wall. “My wife did not look well as she left the library. I can only imagine that has everything to do with you.”

Wilton’s gaze darted over Cooper’s shoulder before a sly look came into his eyes. “Lord Brougham, I do not know the meaning off this outrageous display, but you will remove your hands at once.”

Cooper stiffened. The man had shifted from cowardly to confident too quickly. A glance over his shoulder proved his reasoning was sound. Wolf and Lord Heathington stood staring at them. Cooper growled once more. “If I find out you have done something to upset my wife, I can promise you I will not stop next time.”

He banged the man against the wall one last time, but by then, Wolf had stepped up and was pulling his hands off Wilton’s lapels. “Cooper, I don’t know what has occurred, but you need to release him unless he has done something to you or Emily.”

As Cooper did as directed, the smarmy fop stumbled away toward Lord Heathington. “My lord, certainly you do not condone such behavior?”

Heathington stared at Wilton, a single brow lifted. “I do not, unless of course you have in some way insulted Lord Brougham or his wife?”

Wilton tugged on his clothes. “Absolutely not.”

“Very well, then. Lord Brougham, unless Lord Wilton has caused harm to you or your wife, I will ask you to refrain from laying hands upon the man while you are guests in my home.”

Lord Heathington waited for a reply.

Cooper growled, frustration riding him hard. “My wife exited the library just before him, looking upset. He then came out and insinuated he had intimate knowledge of her. And since we arrived, the man has made other inappropriate comments about Lady Brougham.”

Wilton’s chest puffed up. “I merely called the woman a hellion. She certainly does not carry herself as a lady should.” The dandy sniffed as though he were the offended party.

Cooper took a threatening step forward, his hands aching to wrap around the man’s neck.

“You will refrain from provoking Lord Brougham.” Heathington glared at Wilton before looking back at Cooper. “I apologize, but unless you have evidence he has been untoward with your wife, I simply cannot allow you to harm another guest. Should new information come to light, please do make me aware.”

Then the two men turned and departed the hallway.

Cooper cursed as he watched them leave, certain that if he’d had but a few more moments alone, he could have convinced Lord Wilton to reveal what he’d done. He was less certain of his wife’s pliability, particularly if she thought she was protecting him in some way.

“What did he do to provoke you?” Wolf’s forehead wrinkled.

Cooper turned to go in search of his wife, but said over his shoulder, “I don’t precisely know, but I plan to get to the bottom of it before the day is out.”