Page 66 of Taken By the Broken Duke
He felt a curious mixture of elation and anxiety. The elation came from his newfound freedom. For so long, he had been ruled by his need to improve the name of his family, to be well-thought-of by his peers. That thinking had governed him. From the annual balls that he hated so much that he was unwilling to show his face, to allowing himself to be forced into marriage for the sake of reputation.
Now, he feltfree.
He didn't care for his reputation. It had been tarnished because of the actions of others, manipulating him. If it remained tarnished for that reason, it did not matter. All that mattered was pursuing his heart's desire, not what his head told him he must do.
All that mattered was Juliet.
How much time did she have left? So much time had been wasted already.
The reason for choosing the coach with its team of four was because Horatio intended to take Juliet from Wetherby directly to Carlisle, there to find Doctor Alistair Carmichael and discover the cure.
Ifthere was a cure.
If there was not, then Horatio's next mission was to make Juliet's remaining time in this world as blissful as he could. And regardless of what she wanted, Horatio would marry her, widower or not. He would wear that mantle with pride as it was earned by marriage to a remarkable, beautiful woman that he loved.
“Wetherby House, Your Grace!” the driver, Graeme, called out.
The coach was turning into a broad driveway of white gravel. Decorative urns of classical Greek styling bordered the drive.
Horatio looked out of the coach's window at the house approaching. It was modest in size and with a classical facade that Horatio supposed was to suggest buildings of antiquity such as the Parthenon. The effect was more pretention and vulgarity than dignity and gravitas, however. It matched his view of the Godwins perfectly.
Before the house, two men stood guard. One of them, sword on his hip, was turning to face the approaching coach. The other, also wearing a sword, held the reins of two fine white horses. Both were well dressed.
The coach came to a halt before the house and Graeme disembarked to open the door for Horatio. He alighted, instinctively knowing that he should not show weakness before the man facing him. The man had dark hair and eyes with a round face that suggested youth. But the set of his jaw and the tightness around his eyes belied that. So too did his stance. His feet were set shoulders width apart and he seemed to be poisednimbly as though prepared to move swiftly in any direction. One hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
“Good day to you, sir,” he uttered. “I am the Viscount Hemsworth. And you are?”
The title sounded familiar to Horatio’s ears, but he couldn’t place much of anything over the last month. “His Grace, the Duke of Ravenscourt,” Horatio replied instead. “Do you bar my way, Lord Hemsworth?”
“Until I know your intentions, yes, I believe I do, Your Grace,” Hemsworth declared.
Horatio stood with cane planted on the ground to one side. He locked his knees, lest they shake. He felt as though he had not eaten for a week. A breeze might blow him over.
“My intentions are my own. As is my business here at Wetherby,” Horatio muttered, “and yourself?”
“A guardian. And I cannot allow you admittance.”
“The hell you can't!” Horatio retorted sharply.
He made to walk around Hemsworth but the other man stepped in front of him. His right hand whipped to the sword hilt and bared a few inches of steel.
“The hell I can,” he replied with a tight smile, “I am sworn to protect one who resides within and believe her to be in danger.”
“Protect? Do you refer to Juliet?”
“I do. My good friend and fiancée,” Hemsworth finished.
That word coming from another man incensed Horatio, jealousy igniting anger already simmering from being blocked by this stranger.
“If you claim the title fiancé, then I must assume you are an enemy. I know that her wicked family would see her married off and out of their way. I have been a victim of their machinations and I’m here to bring them to an end. Juliet willnotbe marrying you. Leave now,” Horatio snarled between gritted teeth.
“No,” Hemsworth said calmly. “I am part of no machinations except those devised by Juliet and myself. But I have been apprised of the plans of the Godwins for their niece. She will not be forced into marriage against her will and then shut away to protect you from scandal. Oh yes,Ravenscourt, I am familiar with your name and the scandal you sought to insulate yourself against. Why not marry that strumpet Frances instead? Far more suited to a man like yourself. Leave the pure-hearted Juliet out of it.”
Horatio frowned, puzzling over Hemsworth's words. He did not speak like an ally of the Godwins—in fact, he seemed to think that Horatio was just that. He knew of the scandal brewing concerning himself and Juliet, knew of the original plan toprotect the Templeton name. Whose side was this man on? How could he be anything but an ally of the Godwins if he knew so much?
Horatio raised his head. “Stand aside. There are only two sources for the information you have. One is myself. I do not know you. The other is the Godwins. My enemies. Therefore, you must also be my enemy. You ask about my intentions? It is to save Juliet from the affliction that threatens her life and then marry her.”
The sword came out of its sheath so fast, Horatio saw only a blur of motion. Then the point was directed at him, held unwaveringly. As unshakeable as the hard, dark eyes that locked onto Horatio's.
