By this point, her enthusiastic recitation had attracted the attention of a considerable portion of the assembly, though nowshe found herself wishing for rescue rather than an audience.
"Indeed," she managed, her voice slightly strained as she attempted to step back from his encroaching presence. "How very kind of you to offer such friendship."
"Oh, I had something rather more intimate than friendship in mind," Westbrook replied with a wolfish grin, reaching out as if to touch her gloved hand. "Perhaps you might honour me with the next dance? I should be delighted to discuss what other diversions I might offer a lady of your exceptional beauty."
It was at that precise moment that a shadow fell across their conversation, and Evangeline looked up to find Lucian standing directly behind Lord Westbrook with an expression that would have frozen the blood of anyone possessing sufficient survival instincts to recognize mortal danger.
"Westbrook." The single word emerged from Lucian's throat with the sort of deadly quiet that had once preceded cavalry charges, carrying implications that made Lord Westbrook's face drain of all color.
"Ah, Your Grace!" Westbrook's voice cracked slightly as he turned to face the man whose presence he had clearly not detected, his lecherous confidence evaporating instantly. "I was just … that is, Her Grace and I were discussing..."
"Were you indeed?" Lucian's voice had dropped to the sort of whisper that seemed more threatening than a shout, while his dark eyes fixed upon the younger man with predatory intensity. "How fascinating. And what, precisely, were you discussing with my wife?"
"Nothing of consequence, merely social pleasantries, discussion of her recent indisposition..."
Lucian stepped closer, his imposing height and breadth making Lord Westbrook appear almost childlike by comparison. "I trust you were not suggesting that my wife requires alternative entertainment to supplement what her marriage provides?Because if I believed you had made such an insulting proposition to the Duchess of Ravenshollow, I might find myself compelled to respond in a manner that would be most unfortunate for your continued good health."
The question hung in the air like a drawn blade, its implications clear to everyone within hearing distance. Several nearby conversations had ceased entirely, as guests strained to witness what appeared to be the prelude to a very public confrontation between two men of vastly different temperaments and capabilities.
"Of course not!" Westbrook stammered, backing away with obvious alarm. "I would never do such a thing. I merely offered my friendship and support should she require it during her adjustment to her new circumstances."
"How thoughtful," Lucian replied with silky menace. "Though I believe my wife's circumstances require no adjustment beyond what I am perfectly capable of providing. Perhaps you might direct your friendship toward ladies who actually require such assistance?"
***
The sight of Charles Ashford leaning over his wife with the sort of predatory charm that marked accomplished seducers filled Lucian with a rage so pure and primitive that it threatened to overwhelm every vestige of civilized behavior he had painstakingly maintained throughout the torturous evening.
He had been trapped in conversation with Sir Geoffrey about estate improvements when his attention had been drawn by the sound of Evangeline's voice rising in what appeared to be animated discourse with someone he could not immediately identify. The crowd had shifted, providing him with a clear view of his wife being courted by one of the most notorious fortune hunters in Yorkshire, and every protective instinct he possessedhad flared to dangerous life.
Ashford was everything that Lucian was not—young, handsome, unmarked by experience, possessed of the sort of easy charm that opened doors and hearts with equal facility. Watching him bend over Evangeline's hand with practiced gallantry while speaking in tones too low for others to overhear had awakened jealousies that Lucian had not even realized he was capable of experiencing.
The rational part of his mind understood that Evangeline was merely being polite to an importunate guest, that her responses carried no warmth beyond basic courtesy, that she had given no sign of being susceptible to Ashford's obvious attractions. Yet the primitive, possessive part of his nature saw only a rival male attempting to claim what belonged to him, and responded accordingly.
His approach had been deliberately silent, using skills learned during years of military reconnaissance to position himself where he could overhear their conversation before making his presence known. What he heard had filled him with such complex emotions that he had required several moments to process their implications fully.
Evangeline was not merely rebuffing Ashford's advances—she was actively promoting her husband's reputation in terms so glowing that they bordered on the fantastical. Her description of his nursing care during her recovery bore only passing resemblance to reality, transformed through her words into something approaching romantic devotion rather than the grim duty it had actually represented.
Why was she defending him so publicly? What possible advantage could she gain from portraying their practical marriage as a love match? The effort could only reflect negatively upon her own judgment while making her appear either naive or deliberately deceptive to anyone familiar with thetrue circumstances of their union.
Yet as he listened to her enthusiastic recitation of his supposed virtues, Lucian found himself moved by evidence of loyalty he had not expected and certainly had not earned. She was sacrificing her own social comfort to protect his reputation, deliberately associating herself with qualities that she must know would be viewed with skepticism by anyone acquainted with his actual character.
The realization that someone was willing to defend him publicly, to present him as worthy of admiration rather than pity or fear, struck him with unexpected force. When had anyone last spoken of him in terms that suggested anything other than damaged goods to be handled with careful sympathy?
Ashford's suggestion that Evangeline might require alternative companionship had pushed Lucian's possessive instincts beyond the breaking point, transforming protective concern into something approaching territorial rage. The younger man was clearly testing the boundaries of their marriage, searching for evidence that the Duchess might be amenable to extramarital entertainment.
The confrontation that followed had been deliberately calculated to establish Ashford's position in the social hierarchy—far below that of a Duke whose patience with presumptuous fortune hunters had reached its absolute limits. Lucian had no intention of allowing anyone to question his wife's satisfaction with their marital arrangements, regardless of what private reservations she might harbor about their practical nature.
Watching Ashford retreat with obvious relief had provided considerable satisfaction, though Lucian was acutely aware that his handling of the situation had probably created more gossip than it had prevented. The assembled guests had witnessed a display of possessive jealousy that sat oddly with their supposed marriage of convenience, and he could already see speculationbeginning to form behind carefully neutral expressions.
"How odd," Evangeline murmured as Ashford disappeared into the crowd with unseemly haste. "Lord Westbrook seemed quite eager for conversation a moment ago. I wonder what could have caused him to depart so suddenly?"
"Perhaps he recalled a prior engagement," Lucian replied with the sort of bland courtesy that revealed nothing of his inner turmoil.
"How very convenient. Though I confess myself puzzled by his haste. Did you say something to distress him?"
Her innocent inquiry suggested that she had not fully grasped the undercurrents of male competition that had just played out before her, viewing his intervention as mere social interaction rather than the territorial display it had actually represented.
"I merely greeted an old acquaintance. Some men are more sensitive to social nuance than others."
