She slammed the door, determined that Fish and Simon not wander in to bother her. Nor could she have any housemaids hovering and offering their dubious assistance. It would be too difficult to discern which one had eavesdropped, then rushed to inform Millicent Pendleton of Libby’s secrets.
She stormed into her bedchamber, feeling as if she’d been pummeled with clubs.
She’d fornicated with Lord Barrett and was reeling from the experience, but the treacherous cad had blithely discussed the event with Lord Roland. He’d been so effusive with his descriptions that Lord Roland had decided it was necessary to chastise her for it.
She had to leave so Lord Barrett would be saved from the wicked impulses he suffered when she was nearby. She’d struggled—as valiantly as she was able—to deflect Lord Barrett’s advances, but it had been impossible to dissuade him.
Had Lord Barrett any responsibility for what had happened? Why shouldn’t he be asked to leave? Why must Libby slink out like a mongrel dog? If Lord Roland was so offended by what had occurred, why would he still want Lord Barrett as a son-in-law? Why would he still hope the marriage went forward?
Well, she knew why. Lucas Watson and Charles Pendleton were peers, were part of the same elevated social sphere. They were so far above her she was surprised they could see her from their lofty perches.
She’d always loathed their kind of snobbish, entitled prigs, and nothing about the past few days had changed that opinion.
“Hello, Libby,” Luke suddenly said from over in the corner.
She’d been so distracted by her furious musings that she hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings. She jumped a foot and pounded a fist on her chest, urging her thundering pulse to slow down.
He was seated in a chair as if it was perfectly appropriate for him to have snuck in. He was grinning, as if he’d played an amusing trick, and clearly, it hadn’t dawned on him that he might not be welcome.
“Lord Barrett! Why are you in my bedchamber?”
“Where have you been? I’ve been searching for you forever.”
“I have been in the library, being scolded by Lord Roland for my having had the audacity to fornicate with you.”
“What?”
“Evidently, I am a harlot who has seduced you against your will, and you are such a gullible boy that you couldn’t ward off the temptation I present. I must stop enticing you at once, lest you be completely corrupted by me.”
“What are you talking about? I never denigrated you to Charles.”
Her rage soared to a fevered pitch. “How dare you gossip with him about me! How dare you share details of our night together! I swear—if I was holding my pistol—I would shoot you right between the eyes.”
He scowled, looking bewildered by her ire. “Would you calm down?”
“No. I am very, very angry, and I suggest you slither out—this instant!—or I can’t predict how I’ll behave.”
“I didn’t gossip with him.”
“Then how did he know about it?”
He shrugged. “He was aware that you’d been at Barrett with me, and he figured we hadn’t been drinking tea and chatting about the weather.”
“So he accosted you and . . . what? You merrily admitted our tryst? Have you no spine? No discretion? What about my reputation? Were you concerned about it for a single minute?”
“He’s a friend of mine, and we’ve been acquainted for ages. I wasn’t about to lie to him.”
“Heaven forbid that you lie to Lord Roland. Heaven forbid that you protect me.”
“I didn’t need to protect you. He was very sympathetic in how he raised the subject.”
“If I’d been a fussy, aristocratic debutante, I bet you’d have denied it quite vehemently.”
“Charles and I are friends,” he repeated. “We always have been, and we merely had a very private discussion about how I’ve been acting. You’re making too much of this.”
“Since I was the center of that conversation, I beg to differ. I’m not making nearly enough. Get out of here.”
“No.”
“Get out!”
She was trying to keep from shouting. After how Lord Roland had castigated her, she couldn’t have another snooping servant hear that she had a man in her bedroom. The news would immediately be conveyed to Millicent Pendleton, and Libby would be even more disgraced.
“We have to confer about numerous issues,” he said.
“I have no idea why you’d think that.”
“You’re not serious. After last night, we have a thousand topics to address.”
“You are mad! Now go away!”
He didn’t budge, but gaped at her as if she were a toddler throwing a tantrum. She was a tiny woman, and he was a very large man. She couldn’t physically toss him out, and he wasn’t about to heed her verbal entreaties. So to Hades with him!
She whipped away and marched into her dressing room. She opened a traveling trunk and retrieved her pistol. It was still loaded from when she’d been riding the prior afternoon, which seemed to have been a lifetime ago. It was wet from the rain, so she doubted—if she pulled the trigger—it would even fire, but she was more than ready to find out.
She stomped back to the bedroom, the barrel pointed at the middle of his cold black heart. If he felt threatened in the slightest, he didn’t exhibit any sign. He simply frowned as if she was deranged.
“What are you planning?” he said. “Will you shoot me merely because I’ve refused to leave?”
“Yes. I’m not joking. I have had it—with you, with your precious Lord Roland. If I have to murder you to be rid of you, then I am happy to take that drastic step.”
“You just might be the most astonishing female in the world. How should I view such bizarre conduct?”
He laughed, and her rage burned even hotter. “Yes, that’s what I’ve always heard about myself. I’m astonishing, but my bad temper is never mentioned. At the moment, I’ve had all the turmoil and insults I can abide, so get going! Don’t make
