Christian Seaton_ Duke of Danger(39)

As he found the idea of Lisette remaining in Portsmouth disturbing.

And equally impossible.

Somehow, in some way, he knew he had to persuade Lisette into accepting that she had no choice but to accompany the two men to London.

When he would have to pass her over to the tender mercies of Aubrey Maystone’s interrogation?

Not if he had anything to say about it!

And he would...

* * *

‘Perhaps if you were to sit here beside me it would help to prevent my being jostled about so much...?’ Christian looked persuasively across the carriage at Lisette.

She made no reply as she coldly returned that look; the two of them had not so much as spoken a word to each other since Christian’s carriage departed Portsmouth earlier that morning.

Christian had tried the previous evening, in every way he could, to persuade Lisette that going to London with them, talking to Maystone herself, convincing that gentleman of her innocence, was by far the best course of action.

Marcus, apparently tired of the arguments, had decided to take the matter into his own hands this morning—no doubt feeling disgruntled after a night spent away from Julianna and their bed—and simply picked Lisette up in his arms and deposited her in Christian’s coach, before instructing the groom to drive on.

Not an auspicious beginning to their journey!

Not that Marcus was the one who had to bear the brunt of Lisette’s stony silence, that gentleman having chosen to ride ahead on his horse.

Lisette had not been silent either initially, of course, as she had once again reviled Christian with a list of insults that would have made a fishwife blush. After which she had fallen into this icy silence that was, quite frankly, causing Christian far more discomfort than his thigh.

Indeed, his thigh felt a little easier today, after the long rest yesterday and a night’s sleep, and he had even managed to dress himself this morning, with Marcus’s help, and eat a little of the breakfast brought up to his bedchamber.

Food that seemed to have settled uncomfortably in his stomach as the icy silence continued between himself and Lisette. ‘I am not the one who picked you up and placed you—’

‘Only because you are not yet well enough!’ Her eyes flashed with anger. ‘If you had been, I have no doubt you would have manhandled me as uncivilly as did Le Duc de Worthing.’

Christian gave a wince. ‘Please come and sit beside me, Lisette.’

‘Why?’

Because Christian badly needed to hold her in his arms. In truth, he had thought of doing little else since she had retired early to her own bedchamber the previous evening. No doubt with the intention of plotting and planning a way in which she might leave the inn and so avoid being made to accompany him and Marcus to London today.

When he had voiced that concern to Marcus, the other man had assured him that he had placed one of the inn’s servants outside the door of Lisette’s bedchamber to prevent such an occurrence.

‘Please, Lisette.’ Christian now patted the upholstered seat beside him. ‘Or I shall be forced to come to you,’ he added softly; after all, there was only so much space for Lisette to retreat inside his ducal carriage.

‘You will do no such thing!’ Lisette frowned at him. ‘I may not like you or your friend very much at the moment, but neither do I wish you any further harm,’ she acknowledged begrudgingly, having spent many wakeful hours of the night considering her position.

There was no doubting that Helene was indeed up to something nefarious during those late night clandestine meetings with her cohorts. Nor could Lisette change the fact that she was the other woman’s daughter.

Consequently Christian could not know with any certainty that Lisette was not in cahoots with the older woman and had only accompanied him to England in order to gain information to further her mother’s plot to undermine the English government and monarchy.

Which was not to say that Lisette in any way forgave Christian for deceiving her, only that she now understood it, in part.

Unfortunately for Christian, it was not the part of her that had been so attracted to this Duc Dangereuse.

Oh, yes, Lisette understood that sobriquet too now, having charmed Marcus Wilding into confiding in her when they dined together the previous evening.

Nor was she as self-confident and self-contained as she wished to appear in front of Christian. She felt completely vulnerable in this strange country amongst people she did not know. She also feared what was going to happen to her when she arrived in London.

She set her lips firmly in an effort to stop them from trembling. ‘What are your plans for me once we reach London, Monsieur le Duc? Am I to be locked up in chains until I reveal all to this man Maystone?’ Considering she knew absolutely nothing about Helene Rousseau’s plotting and planning, and so had nothing to reveal, that might possibly be for some considerable time.