'Hell,' he muttered to himself. Every time he touched her he went a little crazy. If he tried to offer her solace, he'd probably make it worse.
Lyon threw open the door and helped Christina to the ground. 'When will I see you again?' he asked her. They were in the midst of a struggle, and he wasn't certain she heard him. Christina was trying to push his hands away, and he was trying to hug her. 'Christina, when will I see you again?'
She refused to answer him until he let go of her.
Lyon refused to let go of her until she answered him. 'We'll stand here all night,' he told her when she kept pushing against his shoulders.
Christina suddenly threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. 'I blame myself, Lyon. It was wrong of me to ask you to marry with me. I was being very selfish.'
Her words so surprised him, he let go of her. Christina kept her head bowed so he couldn't see her distress, yet was powerless to keep her voice from trembling. 'Please forgive me.'
'Let me explain,' Lyon whispered. He tried to pull her back into his arms. Christina evaded him again by taking a quick step back. 'Marriage changes a person. It isn't a rejection of you, Christina, but I-'
She shook her head. 'Do not say another word. You might have fallen in love with me, Lyon. When the time came for me to go home, you would have had a broken heart. It is better for me to choose someone else, someone I don't care about.'
'Christina, you
'You're very like Rhone, do you know that?'
Her question confused him. Christina hurried up the steps to her townhouse. When she turned back to look at Lyon, he could see how upset she was. Tears streamed down her cheeks. 'Your friend only steals jewels, Lyon. Your sin is greater. If I let you, you'd steal my heart. I cannot allow that to happen. Goodbye, Lyon. I must never see you again.'
With those parting words, Christina went inside the house. The door closed softly behind her.
Lyon was left standing on the stoop. 'The hell you will forget me,' he bellowed.
Lyon was furious. He thought he had to be the most frustrated man in England. How in God's name had he ever allowed himself to get involved with such a confusing woman?
She'd had the audacity to tell him he might fall in love with her.
Lyon knew the truth. Heaven help him, he was already in love with her.
Needless to say, that admission didn't sit well. Lyon almost ripped the door off the carriage when he climbed back inside. He shouted the order to his driver to take him home, then began to list all the reasons he should stay away from Christina.
The woman was a blatant liar.
He despised liars.
God only knew how many hearts she'd broken.
Destiny… he decided he hated that word.
By the time he arrived home, he'd accepted the fact that none of his reasonable arguments made any difference. He was stuck with Christina whether he wanted to be or not.
Chapter Eight
Mylala wouldn't leave her homeland. She wouldn't leave her family. While 1 understood her reasons, I was afraid for her. She promised me she'd take every precaution. My maid planned to hide in the hills until Edward was unseated from power or fled the country. Her family would look after her. I gave her all my own treasury, though it was a pittance by England 's standards. We wept together before we parted, like true sisters who knew they'd never see each other again.
Yes, she was my sister, in spirit and heart. I'd never had a confidant. My own sister, Patricia, could never be trusted. Be warned, child. If Patricia is still alive when you've grown up, and you meet up with her one day, protect yourself. Don't put your faith in her, Christina. My sister loves deception. She feeds on others' pain.
Do you know, she really should have married Edward. They would have been very compatible. They are so very much alike.
Lyon spent most of Friday afternoon sitting in the Bleak Bryan tavern, located in a particularly seedy section of the city. Lyon wasn't there to drink, of course, but to glean information from the captains and shipmates who favored the tavern.
He moved easily in and out of such a setting. Though dressed in quality buckskins and riding jacket, he didn't need to worry about being set upon. Lyon was always given a wide berth. Everyone in this area knew his reputation well. They feared him, yet respected him, and entered into conversation only when he motioned to them for an audience.
Lyon sat with his back against the wall. Bryan, a retired shipmate from the moment he lost his hand in a knife fight, sat beside him. Lyon had purchased the tavern and set Bryan up in business as a reward for past loyalty.
He questioned one man after another, refusing to become impatient when the hours stretched or the shipmates lied in order to get another free glass of ale. A newcomer strutted over to the table and demanded his share of the bounty. The big man lifted the seaman Lyon was questioning by his neck and carelessly threw him to the side.
Bryan smiled. He still enjoyed a good fight. 'Have you never met the Marquess of Lyonwood, then?' he asked the stranger.
The seaman shook his head, took his seat, and then reached for the pitcher of ale. 'Don't give a belch who he be,' the man muttered menacingly. 'I'm wanting my due.'
Bryan 's eyes sparkled with amusement. He turned to Lyon and said, 'He's wanting his due.'
Lyon shrugged. He knew what was expected of him. Every face in the tavern was looking at him. There were appearances to keep up, and if he wanted a peaceful afternoon, he'd have to take care of this little matter.
He waited until the seaman had put the pitcher back on the table, then slammed the heel of his boot into the man's groin.
It happened too quickly for the seaman to protect himself. Before he could scream in pain, Lyon had him by the throat. He squeezed hard, then flung the big man backwards.
The crowd roared their approval. Lyon ignored them. He tilted his chair back against the wall, never taking his gaze off the man writhing in agony on the floor.
'You got your due, you horse's arse. Now crawl on out of here. I run a respectable tavern,' Bryan bellowed between bouts of laughter.
A thin, jittery man drew Lyon 's attention then. 'Sir, I hear you're wanting information about ships from the colonies,' he stammered out.
'Take a seat, Mick,' Bryan instructed. 'He's a good, honest man, Lyon,' Bryan continued, nodding at his friend.
Lyon waited while the seaman exchanged news with
Bryan. He continued to watch the man he'd just injured until the door slammed shut behind him.
Then his thoughts returned to Christina and his mission.
Lyon had decided to start over. He was finished forming his own conclusions based on logical assumptions. Logic didn't work where Christina was concerned. He threw out all her explanations about her past. The only fact he knew to be truthful was that the Countess had returned to England approximately three months ago.
Someone had to remember the old bat. The woman was foul enough to have drawn attention to herself by complaining about something to someone. She wouldn't have been an appreciative passenger.
Mick, as it turned out, remembered the woman. Rather well. 'Captain Curtiss weren't a fair man with me, sir.
