Chapter 17
Evie had seen an elephant once. A traveling menagerie had captured Ash’s attention and he took her to see all sorts of exotic animals. Now, it seemed, the huge gray mammal had found its way inside her head and stomped around. With a moan, she cracked open an eye. Damned champagne. She would never again drink the horrid stuff. As white-hot daggers pressed into her right temple, she threw an arm over her eyes, but it was too late. The pounding ache turned into wretched pulsations that threatened to split her skull in two.
“Good morning, my lady,” Alice called cheerfully and clanged a tray down onto the table beside the bed.
“Not so loud,” Evie groaned, “I can hear the ants marching on the ground outside.” Her dry, swollen tongue had difficulty forming words and she swallowed several times, feeling as though she had slept with cotton in her mouth.
Alice lowered her voice. “Do not fret, Lambie, His Lordship knew you would have the raging bottle-aches and told me to give this to you.”
Evie heard a spoon clanking the sides of a glass and everything her maid said settled in. She gasped and opened her eyes. Then she made the mistake of sitting up, holding the sheet over her naked breasts, and turning her head toward the pillows stacked up next to her. As a dull pain tore through the right side of her head, she pressed three fingers to the aching temple and squinted around the empty bed. Jeremy’s empty bed.
“Here you are,” Alice sang out and a glass of gray-white liquid appeared before her eyes.
The pain induced nausea and she wrinkled her nose at the concoction Alice insisted she drink.
“It will take the bottle-ache away and your stomach will feel better.” Alice pressed the drink into her hands and nodded. “Believe me, I know exactly how you feel and that does help.”
Evie shifted to a more comfortable position and took a sip. She cleared her throat. “Where is Lord Fielding?”
Alice spun back around. “Called away on some urgent family business is what everyone is saying downstairs.” The maid straightened the pillows beside Evie and retied one of the bed curtains. “But that is all I know.”
Evie’s breath caught, sending another bolt of shooting pain through her temple. What if Montague was behind Jeremy getting called away? What if it was a trap? She drained the glass and pulled back the blankets. “Help me dress, Alice. I need to find out what is going on.” And as she rose unsteadily to her feet, the raw, burning sensation between her legs brought back snippets of what happened the previous evening.
She held on to the thick carved oak post and closed her eyes, swaying as the enormity of what she’d done rose up to choke her.
“My lady!” Alice wrapped an arm around her. “You are unwell. Rest for a while and let the medicine sooth your pain.” She helped her back into the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. “Sleep, now, Lambie.” She pressed a cool hand against Evie’s forehead.
“Alice,” Evie mumbled tiredly, “will you tell Belle I need to speak to her?”
“Of course, my lady, but then you should rest.”
“I will.”
The next time Evie opened her eyes, she found Belle hovering over her, a worried frown drawing her brows together. Then her aunt straightened. “Oh, Evie, I have been waiting for two hours. Alice said you wanted to see me. She said it sounded important.”
Taking a deep breath, Evie had to admit, her head had little of the pain left and her stomach no longer turned inside out. She rubbed a hand down her face, then sat up against the pillows. “I am concerned about Jeremy. Do you know where he is?”
Belle’s lips pressed together and her blue eyes narrowed a fraction.
“Where?” Evie demanded.
Taking the chair beside the bed, Belle said, “I can say nothing, Cherie. I am sorry.”
“What? Why not?”
Belle sighed. “You are no longer a Guardian, Evie, and I cannot discuss official business with you any longer.”
Her breath caught. “I’m not a Guardian,” she whispered. “But Ghost told me last evening…” She shook her head slightly. “I do not understand. Explain it to me.”
Belle pursed her lips, then seemed to come to a conclusion. “Your husband made it clear to Elder you cannot be a member.” She rose from her chair. “Now, I must go—”
“Didn’t he explain? Jeremy and I aren’t really married.” Evie reached out to her aunt. “He cannot make those decisions.”
Belle glanced around the bed then raised a brow. “Is he not your true husband, Evie?” Then she turned and marched away, her shoes clicking hard against the wooden floor.
As the door closed with a soft click behind her aunt, Evie had the absurd feeling she wanted to cry. The disappointment in Belle’s eyes had taken her aback. She threw back the blankets and slipped from the bed, much steadier on her feet. Walking through the adjourning door to her room, she called for Alice and dressed quickly.
When her maid insisted she nibble on dry toast and unsweet tea, Evie made her way downstairs and called to Bentley. He appeared at once and bowed. “My lady, how may I assist you?”
“Will you have a carriage ready for me right away?”
He stiffened, his kind brown eyes shifting away. “My sincerest apologies, my lady, but Lord Fielding said for you to remain here until his return. Will that be all, Lady Fielding?”
Evie opened her mouth, about to insist he do as she asked, then thought better of it. She certainly did not want to be cause for his dismissal, and that could happen if he went against his lord’s wishes. Instead, she nodded. “Yes, Bentley, that is all. Thank you.”
His stiff shoulders softened. “Madam,” he said with a bow and walked to kitchen, holding the door open for Mrs. Fagan who just returned with an empty tray.
That gave Evie an idea. Twisting her fingers together, she glanced toward the stairs. With a deep breath, she headed to one of the guestrooms. Knocking on the door, she received permission to enter and turned the polished silver knob.
Stepping into the masculine guestroom, she saw paintings of the fox hunt and large stags on the walls. Then she glanced toward the bed and was startled to see the young man sitting against a pile of pillows, resembling Jeremy much more than she had expected. His tall, lithe form straightened when he noticed her standing there and he waved her forward.
“My lady,” he said with a huge smile, “I was hoping to meet you soon.”
Evie shuffled forward. “I am sorry Mr. Millman. I should have come sooner.” She stopped beside the bed, unable to meet his eyes. “Pray, is there anything you need?”
“Lady Fielding, wi—”
“Evie.” She raised her head. “Please, call me Evie.”
He gave a toothy grin, a bit different than the slow, sensual smiles Jeremy like to flash. “I was about to ask you to call me Myran.” His smile widened. “Evie.”
Oh, she quite liked this young fellow and bit her lip as a new rush of guilt flooded her insides when she saw the faded bruises around his eyes and right cheek. “Myran, then. I was hoping you could find it in your heart to forgive me?”
His brows snapped together. “Forgive you for what?”
She unlaced her fingers and motioned to his face with her hand. “For your injuries.”
He cocked his head to the side. “As I recall, Evie, you were not the one of those scoundrels who stopped the carriage and pulled me out.”
Chewing the inside of her cheek, she didn’t know how to answer that. Did he not know about the card Montague left behind? Perhaps he did not. She smoothed her ice blue skirt. “Well, I feel terribly responsible and wanted you to know I am sorry for what happened.”
He studied her for several seconds, then said, “You came to see me before. Right after the accident. You had tears in your eyes.”
Evie drew in a breath and nodded. “I must confess, I thought you were Jeremy at the time.”
“You love him,” he said softly.
Before Evie could make some silly quip, a knock sounded behind her and Amelia entered, holding her black medical bag. She gave a tired smile and Evie noticed the dark smudges beneath her eyes.
“Evie, hello. I hope you recovered from the bottle-ache I’m certain you woke up with.”
“Yes, well, that was not an enjoyable experience in the least. I believe I will refrain from champagne for a good long while.” She came forward and motioned to the bag in her friend’s hands. “Can I assist you in any way, Amelia? You look as though you are ready to topple over.”
Her friend shook her head and set the bag on a nearby table with a sigh. “I can manage, thank you, but it has been a very long night. Jeremy summoned me.” She glanced around Evie and gave Myran a smile. “Hello, Myran. I thought I’d stop to see you on my way home. How are you feeling today?”
Evie shook her head and planted her knuckled on her hips. “Wait. What? Jeremy summoned you? Why?”
Amelia straightened and drew her brows. “You do not know? His sister, Phyllis, nearly lost her babe last evening.”
Rocking back on her heels, Evie pressed her lips together. Why had Belle made it seem as though he had Guardian business… Then she realized Montague could have been there. Of course, Jeremy had to go. Montague may have suspicions, but no proof, and if Jeremy did not act guilty about his involvement in her escape from the caves, he might just learn something important.
She clenched her jaw, wishing she had been there. That could have been the perfect opportunity to slip a few drops from the vial into Montague’s drink. They could have learned everything they needed to know about Viper’s Nest by now, including Viper’s true identity.
Evie clasped her hands together. “You said Phyllis nearly lost the child. Is everything well now?”
Amelia quit rummaging through her bag and glanced up. “For the moment. As long as Phyllis does not move from her bed.”
“I hate to pry, but she is my friend. Do you know what happened? Did she fall?”
Removing an amber bottle, Amelia shook her head. “It wasn’t due to an injury.” She slowly drew her brows. “I got the feeling something upset her a great deal.” Amelia glanced toward Myran and back, then lowered her voice so he couldn’t hear. “I believe it had something to do with her husband.”
When Evie left Amelia to her examination and promised Myran another visit soon, she walked slowly down the hall, contemplating what was revealed to her. Had Phyllis learned the horrifying truth about Montague? That certainly made sense. Poor girl.
She turned at the end of the hall and bumped right into someone. “Pardon,” she mumbled, then gasped when she felt arms go around her and looked up.
Jeremy smiled down at her, a wicked glint in his hazel green eyes. “Hello, pet. Miss me?”
Before Evie could answer, he lowered his lips softly down over hers. Her eyes slid shut and her mutinous body melted into his embrace, demanding to be taken back to bed. He could kiss her and make love to her ten thousand more times and she would always long for more. It was better, so much better, than even her wildest imagination had conjured. Nothing compared to how special this charming rogue made her feel.
She stiffened and he pulled back, drawing his brows. “What is it, Evie?”
How could she explain? How could she demand to know if he treated the other women in his life as wonderful and special as this? No wonder he had a pack of hungry, wild she-wolves drooling after him. One taste of paradise wasn’t near enough. Evie wondered if she would ever have enough.
Probably not.
And that scared the hell out of her.
He raised his hands, his fingertips grazing her cheek. “Did I hurt you?” he asked and there was genuine concern in his gaze.
Not yet, she wanted to answer, then shook her head. “Amelia is examining Myran. She told me where you have been.” She placed a hand on his arm and felt the muscles bunch against her palm. “Did you see Montague?”
He glanced up as a maid opened a door carrying a large brown feather duster in her hand. The young woman smiled and nodded, then Jeremy took Evie’s hand and led them to his room and closed the door. Evie’s heart thundered as memories flooded her mind, and she glanced toward the bed, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. Some of the things she remembered doing, made her want to sit in the nearest chair and fan her hot face. Goodness, what a horrid wanton.
Jeremy stepped before her and lifted her chin up with a curled forefinger. His eyes swept her face and that wolfish smile spread slowly from one ear to the other. “Never be embarrassed for bringing me so much pleasure.” His eyes sparkled from the memories. “I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to doing it all again.” He removed his finger and tapped her nose. “But not today, pet. You need time to recover.”
Evie opened her mouth. She wanted to tell him it wasn’t fair that he took advantage of her in her befuddled state. That she never would have done any of those things had she been in her right mind. That none of that would happen again. She pressed her lips back together. That would be a complete and utter lie. Her body lit up like a torch with the thought of returning to Jeremy’s bed, the yearning so strong, it created tiny quivers skittering around her sensitive areas.
All Jeremy had to do was crook his little finger and she would come running. She closed her eyes and dropped her chin to her chest. He had won. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. How would she ever stand the thought of him going to other women and touching them?
His chuckle made her look up. “I know exactly how you feel, darling.” His arms came around her and she sighed against the feel of his soft superfine coat against her cheek. He didn’t smell of cheroot. In fact, she realized he hadn’t smoked at all since the day they married. Er, since the fake ceremony.
Evie nearly groaned out loud when she realized she had started to think of Jeremy as her true husband. She also had to face the truth that she had no say in what he did with other women. No matter how much it devastated her, she had no right to make him break off any of his relationships. The hand he had splayed across the middle of her back moved in slow circles, distracting her from her misery. Then she realized he had quite nicely distracted her from what she had been trying to learn since his return.
“Tell me,” Evie said, leaning back to glance up into his eyes, “did you see Montague?”
He gave nothing away as he glanced down at her and Evie wished she could read his thoughts. That had to be yet another reason he had been recruited by the Guardians, which brought to mind another thing she wished to discuss with him. She pulled away, making the corners of his lips dip down, and crossed her arms against the loss of being in his. “Well? Aren’t you going to tell me what happened?” She narrowed her eyes. “Or did you simply wish not to be there when I woke.”
Ah, another truth revealed, Evie thought miserably. It hurt to wake up after such an incredible night only to find herself alone. She was terrified Jeremy looked to any excuse to pull away, to not get too close. To keep her at arm’s length.
Something flared in his eyes, something she could not name. And he took a step forward, clenching his jaw. Then he reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. “It was not my wish to leave you.” His eyes roved her face several times. “My mother came to retrieve me, explaining the reason she and Phyllis missed our wedding celebration. Something started to go wrong with Phyllis and Mother got scared. She came and got me.” His hands tightened on her shoulders. “Please understand, I had to go. And it was a good thing I summoned Amelia. She saved Phyllis.”
He straightened and his hands slid away. “To answer your question. No, Montague was not there. He hasn’t returned to London. Probably afraid of what the Guardians will do to him now that you, Blade, and Dragon can testify to what he did.”
Evie shivered, not liking to think the man was out there somewhere, unaccounted for. She also wondered why her aunt had told her he was out on Guardian business. Jeremy cupped her cheek with his palm, gaining her attention. “Scout is out there searching for Montague as we speak. That means he will be found soon,” he said softly, letting his hand slide away.
Evie pursed her lips at the reminder of the other thing she wished to discuss. “Why would you tell Elder I can no longer be a Guardian?” She licked her lips. “You cannot make those sorts of decisions on my behalf, Jeremy. We aren’t really married.”