Goodrich/ Sordid Secrets/ Chapter 6/ Page 18

Goodrich/ Sordid Secrets/ Chapter 6/ Page 18

Chapter Six

Someone was carrying her. She felt strength in the embrace, she felt safe. Her head was still throbbing. When Nic opened her eyes, Colin had lifted her from the carriage and was taking her up a grand flight of stairs to a townhouse. With her head heavily rested upon his shoulder, she could not only feel his racing heartbeat under his thin white shirt, as well we his breath. Was it just the climb with her extra weight or was there another reason for the strong pounding in his chest? When his winded exhale swept past her face, sparks of an unwelcomed sensation ignited within her. Nic began to feel sick, not from her fall, but from knowing she was being attended to by an Avenry. How the devil had she allowed this to happen?

Keeping her eyes closed, she finally murmured, “where are we?”

“This is the house we’ve rented for my stay.”

Despite her weakened state, Nic’s eyes flew open in alarm, for she was brought to his house. She was going to be with him, perhaps all night? Oh, if either of her brothers knew of this, they would surely disown her. A Noble staying at an Avenry’s home… oh it could never happen! Nic consoled herself in the fact that Colin didn’t know who she was. If he did, he wouldn’t have brought her to his home, he wouldn’t be taking care of her, and he surely wouldn’t have come to her defense at the dance square. But now she was in his arms and being carried up to his home.

“Put me down.”

Colin seemed startled by her curt demand, but once reaching the top step he obeyed. “As you wish.”

He continued on, taking a set of keys from his pocket. Nic was distracted from her alarm by the fact that a servant was not ready to open the door for the noble Sir Avenry. She couldn’t imagine him living without a whole entourage of staff following him from his English estate of Claridge. Nic suddenly remembered what it was like at the Avenry estates. As a child, the estates had been full of love and laughter. Colin’s mother had made sure of this. There were constant parties and impromptu events. All the children— whether they be the Avenry heirs, Elliot and Colin, or the servants’ children, like the Avenry steward Theodore Nobles’ children Alexander, Asher and Nicolette – were allowed to run wild and play together.

Nic had heard that everything changed when Colin’s mother, Gretchen, grew ill. It was as if the house, the family and all life around the Avenrys was lost. The scandal between the families had long since broken. By then the split between two families that had acted as one for so many years had turned into an outright blood feud.

Now Nicolette was being carried in the arms of her family’s sworn enemy. She wondered if he knew who she was if he would have left her on the street behind the dance square? After nearly seventeen years of being bred to hate Colin and his family, part of her would expect it. But after spending the past two days with him, there was something in Nic’s mind that began to hope otherwise.

Colin opened the large, ornately carved door and moved aside for her to enter before him. As Nic stepped into the home, she noticed it wasn’t as decorous as she had expected. Yes it was lavish, especially for standards in Portugal. But Nic had seen Colin’s homes in Great Britain and this foreign escape did not hold an ounce of wealth, lavishness or grandeur in comparison. Something about that eased Nic regarding Colin, but not much.

As he motioned her into the small drawing room down the corridor, he softly spoke. “You should rest in this room and I’ll get you a glass of water.”

Nic slowly made her way into the room covered in swirling shades of viridian. The colors seemed to toy with her already spinning mind. She quickly sat on the first piece of furniture she found, a plush dark green divan, and tried to steady herself. Though she tried to pass off her uneven state to her fall, Nic knew it was more with the position she had put herself into. Colin swiftly reappeared, which seemed to startle her again. Nic just couldn’t get used to seeing an Avenry so agreeably—no matter how handsome he was—though she was unsure if it was because of how handsome he was or if it was because he was an Avenry.

“Here you are.” Colin handed her a gold-rimmed glass of water and then pulled an overstuffed chair to the divan so he could sit facing her.

“Thank you,” she whispered. She didn’t know why he wanted to sit directly across from her. Did he have to command her attention at every moment? It was exciting though. For most of her life, she had commanded most men’s attention without even wanting to, but Colin was different. He was an Avenry. He was an enemy. But she had seen a new side of him—soft, protective, powerful, yet not arrogant. All this while still remaining devastatingly handsome. She knew of his conquests back home. She knew of his tally of lovers and dazzled women. Though she had always heard of Colin’s effect on women, she never understood why until now. He could truly charm the most strictly chaste of maids without effort. Nic wondered if he knew of his allurement? This was how ladies were ruined. Now she had fallen into his trap like so many had before. “Either you are brave to bring me to your private home or more arrogant than I thought.”

“If you think I’m so arrogant, then why did you choose me to rescue you last night and then again tonight?”

“I like using and then discarding handsome strangers,” she coyly said and then closed her eyes, groaning inwardly. Why did she say such things to him? From learning his name she had meant to speak to this man disdainfully and defiantly, but her words always tumbled from her mouth in a sultry purr to him. She reminded herself to remain distant and to keep her actions bristled, but her body seemed to melt with every look he gave her. This was his trap, wasn’t it? To make a woman show that she wanted him though he gave her no intention.

Colin laughed at her reply, but abruptly winced in pain of his injured face. Nic did feel terrible about his beating. He looked as if he’d been in the tiger’s den. His shirt was torn, but to Nic it revealed his sculptured chest. The left side of his face was turning shades of blue and purple, which only accentuated his crystal blue eyes. His chestnut hair was disheveled, but it reminded her of how it would look if her fingers had glided through it. Nic quickly drank the rest of her water trying to calm herself from such ludicrous thoughts. She wiped her dampened lips on her sleeve, remembering that it was his sleeve. She was still wearing his jacket.

Colin took a monogrammed handkerchief from his trouser pocket and began to tend to his own wounds. Without thought, Nic instinctively took the handkerchief from his fumbling hand and began to assist her rescuer. Nic took the handkerchief and wiped the drops of water left in her glass and then leaned forward, placing a hand on his shoulder and pressed the damp cloth to his split lip. Why did she touch him and so intimately too? His eyes lifted to hers as she began to care for him. His vivid blue gaze pierced hers; she could feel it deep within her, which made her deeply uncomfortable. But he seemed just as confused as her with the gesture. As if he had not expected her forwardness once again. It must be part of his act.

“How does your lip feel?” She earnestly asked.

“It’s painful, but my ego feels worse,” he confessed.

Leaning back with a candid laugh, Nic shook her head. “It always does for men.”

He didn’t respond, but continued to stare at her heavily. There was a heat in his blue eyes. A warmth, which she had assumed was absent from all Avenry men. She quickly wanted to remind herself of his duty and life back in London. “This is a large townhouse, too large for just one man. You mentioned a ‘we’ in ownership on the doorstep. Are you sure that you’re alone in Lisbon and you haven’t fibbed about your ornament’s whereabouts?”

She knew he felt uncomfortable with her mention of his fiancée. He pulled away from her attentions to his bruised face. “She’s not here, but I am not staying here alone either. My closest friend and business associate, Lord Garrison, is my traveling companion. He’s currently in Oporto for the night on business.”

She knew that name well. The business reputation of Lord Marcus Garrison was as known to her as the unprincipled Sir Avenry’s. One of her bothers, Alexander, hated Lord Marcus nearly as much as Colin. But at least the Garrisons and Nobles did not have a bitter past, though the Garrisons had publicly sided with the Avenry family after the scandal. The Garrison’s estate actually bordered Nic’s godmother’s estate, one that she frequented as a child and now. Oh, if Lord Garrison were here, he would definitely recognize her. Her hands grew shaky at the thought of being discovered. Gathering up her feet, Nic sat cross legged on the divan under her bilious sapphire colored skirt and tried to keep her conversation steady. “I guess if your ornament was here, you would not have been out tonight in a dance square of questionable repute.”

With a cross look, he seemed offended at her suggestion, but then said “Your title for her is frustrating. May I give you her name?”

She paused. Nic liked her own descriptive name for this girl. It kept the topic impersonal and snide. Moreover, something about thinking about Colin formally tied to another woman bothered her. “If you wish.”

“Tessa or Miss Gray.”

No… she couldn’t be! Nic hadn’t known that the Avenry family had arranged for Colin to marry Miss Gray, Lord Blackenly’s youngest daughter. Nic remembered the ice-princess from boarding school a decade ago. Though Nic was the mere child of a servant, her godmother had arranged for her to attend some of the most elite schools in the region—though she clearly did not belong at any of them despite her family’s new wealth. Nic and Tessa were at odds even at such a young age.

Colin put a hand on Nic’s, breaking her recollection of the elite heiress. It wasn’t his sudden touch that startled her but that he audaciously touched her at all. He was again taking very bold liberty with her already, though Nic reminded herself that she was in his home alone and he presumed her to be a commoner of lesser morals. Then suddenly, his words continued on with their conversation as his fingertips were scalding her skin. He suspiciously asked, “Nic? Have you heard of her family?”

“No, of course not. I just like my word for her better, though her given name sounds pretentious as well.” Nic scoffed, trying to not show her contempt for his betrothed nor the disconcertion of being so close to him.

“She is.”

“How can you speak about your future wife in such a manner?”

He casually leaned back in his chair. “Wait. Why do you call her my future wife? Instead of my fiancé?”

She was confused. He was flying back and forth between whether he was actually engaged to the girl or not. Though he must think he was being charming in the suggestion that he could have a different woman if he chose, Nic knew better. “Because you haven’t given her the ring yet.”

“Wait… she already has a ring—”

“Oh, I apologize. I just felt what I assumed was a ring in this pouch in your jacket. If you are already engaged, why are you away in Lisbon?” Nic didn’t know why she was so curious about Colin’s personal affairs. She should be hastily leaving his home, not suggestively speaking of marriage. But the announcement that he was already formally engaged instead of simply intended to be irritated her. But why should it? He was an Avenry after all and Colin marrying a cold, snide elitist like Tessa fit his family well. But the fact that Colin would not be consumed with love and passion in his chosen wife saddened Nic. Then again, the flash of herself wrapped up in that passion filled her head.

“I’m here to free my thoughts. Marc brought me here to sort through a few personal issues while he’s on business.”

“Such as?”

He turned from her, obviously refusing to answer.

This made Nic even more curious. What could drive Sir Avenry from his personal kingdom of London to run away and find refuge in a city such as Lisbon? Nic leaned forward from her seat and allowed her breath to sweep past his cheek as she whispered in his ear, “it’s only us here.”

He seemed to take a few deep breathes of her and then sighed, pushing his chair back. He walked to the sideboard to pour a strong drink as he explained. “I have been matched with Tessa for more than three years and I discovered two days ago that she was publicly entertaining the attentions of another suitor.”

“Wait. You’ve been courting her for three years and have not married her?” This was unheard of in London, especially among the elite tier of society the Avenrys belonged to. He didn’t answer or look at her. Already knowing his reputation with women in London, Nic boldly asked, “and you’ve remained completely faithful to her?”

“That’s not the point.”

“Well perhaps it is to her,” she shrugged. Colin stood frozen by her comment. Nic knew she had stung him, especially because to Colin she was just a stranger. Pulling her long dark black hair over her shoulder, she continued, “do you still want to marry her?”

“Tessa’s not… I don’t know.”

“Do you love her?”

“Do I have to?”

Nic was stunned. She was completely overwhelmed by his reply. Her dark brow furrowed as she intensely whispered, “what?”

“Nic, you can’t begin to understand,” Colin’s light blue eyes flashed with a new anger that she had never seen.

She sat rigid in her seat, ready for any explanation.

“I’m from a complicated society where good marriages are made as the forefront of mergers for empire, titles and family alliances.”

“How unromantic.” She flatly stated, knowing this fact all too well. It was beginning to seem as if Colin and Nic were more alike than either could dare to imagine. They both abhorred the petty use of marriages as a tool for society. The difference was that Colin allowed his family to match him with an ice princess against his will. At least Nic fled from any sort of forced commitment. Nic then felt that she may have the courage where he did not.