Page 46 of Loving a Beast of a Marquess
“What would you know about me, and what I can and can’t do?” Zachary took hold of Percy’s lapels, his temper finally getting the better of him. “What would you know about me at all, myfriend?”
“Zachary,” his mother gasped, but he ignored everything except the man before him, whose eyes had widened but whose face showed no fear.
“If you have something to say,” Percy breathed, “pray do so.”
“Very well.” Zachary’s grip tightened, and he brought the smaller man closer, knowing there was little Percy could do about it. Percy’s build was not that of a fighter. “You are not my friend. You have not been for a long time—ever since you chose to use my position here to secure yourself a wife.”
Percy choked a laugh. “You’re in love with Evangeline? Is that it?”
With a roar, Zachary hurled Percy into the lake.
* * *
Evangeline watched in horror as Zachary threw her soon-to-be-betrothed into the lake.
Not because she felt the Earl of Riffy was in danger, but because Zachary had no right to behave in such a way.
Her aunt gasped and burst into tears. Emily put her hands over her face, and Mr. Trimly put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Lady Harley, Zachary’s mother, made a noise of horror, and Evangeline, no doubt, was supposed to behave in a similar way.
But unlike the other members of their party, Evangeline’s response to horror was not to cry or be struck dumb.
No, Evangeline’s first response was anger.
“How dare you,” she said, striding toward Zachary, her hands balled into fists by her side. “Howdareyou throw a man into our lake.”
When he turned, eyes dark, panting hard, it was easy to forget this was the man she had spent her spare moments kissing. It was easy to forgetthiswas the man she had bestowed her heart to with such reckless abandon.
“You would do better to stay out of this,” he warned, his voice low. Dangerous.
Evangeline cared little for the danger he exuded. It was not directed toward her, and although she knew his temper was a violent one, she was not concerned that he might throwherinto the lake.
And if he did, the Lord’s grace would not be enough to save him from what she would have in store.
“Do you think you can behave in such a way and face no repercussions?” Forgetting herself somewhat—and forgetting they had an audience—she jabbed a finger into his chest. “Howdareyou lose your temper in my father’s house.”
From the tight look on his face, she knew she’d made a mistake. He knew the truth about her father, and while he may not raise a hand against her, that would not prevent him from ruining her in other ways. Heaven knew he had ample ammunition.
“How dare I?” He caught her hand as she went to jab him again, and his fingers closed around her wrist with a finality that both terrified and excited her. “Tell me, Evangeline, is it down to you what I dare or don’t dare to do?”
She’d never seen him quite like this, the anger that she’d sensed at their earlier meeting at the fore, every line taut with it. “I—”
“Or perhaps you should know what sort of man you’re planning on marrying.” He spun her round, so she faced Percy, climbing from the pond sopping wet. “This man, who used my position in your home to charm you, is to be your future husband.”
There was nothing appealing in the sight, but it was as if the world had stopped around her as she considered what he said.
Or rather, the implications behind what he had said.
“You’re… jealous?” she asked, twisting around to look at Zachary again. “You’re angry because I intend to accept Percy’s marriage proposal?”
“And why should I not be jealous?” He tugged her closer to him, the feral look in his eye giving way to sadness so deep it cut her to the core. “Why, when I have had the privilege of knowing you as I know you, should I want you to marry another man?”
“I—” Evangeline, for once in her life, was at a loss to know what to say. This man, with his scars—both internal and external—that she had so foolishly engaged into intimacy with, harbored the kind of feelings for her she had only dreamed of.
This man held the key to her happiness in his hands, and he did not evenknow.
“If you feel that way about me, why did you not ask me to marry you?” she demanded, finally finding her voice. “If you wanted no other man to marry me, why did you not take the steps to secure it?”
Lady Harley helped Percy out of the lake, her arm around his waist. Mr. Trimly guided Emily away until only her aunt was left, watching them with shock on her face.
