Chapter 20

During her first Season, Maddy had had no opportunity to visit the opera, because Garrett Hearthstone despised the performances, and she had made no close friends with whom she could attend otherwise. Stefan had offered to take her, but she had immediately rejected the idea of being trapped in a box with his roaming hands for two hours.

So when Colin presented her with tickets a couple of nights later, she was excited beyond belief. She wasn’t certain if she would enjoy the performance, but as she sat in the box beside Colin, she found herself reaching for his hand as the performance unexpectedly overwhelmed her.

The pure emotion of it brought tears to her eyes, and she was sorry when the curtain rose for intermission. She was dabbing at her face with her handkerchief, and he leaned over and said, “I shall fetch you a glass of lemonade. Would you like any confectionery?”

“Perhaps a pistachio cookie if they have one.” She sniffed. “Pardon me. I did not expect to be so moved.”

“It is indeed a moving performance, and never apologize for your emotions, love.” He stood up, trailing his gloved hand down her cheek for a moment before nodding at her and departing.

She took advantage of the moment to peer out over the box to the crowd below. The finery of everyone impressed her, catching her gaze, and she was enamored to be part of the sparkling scene, though technically she was elevated above it at the moment.

She heard the curtain swish and turned with a smile on her face, holding out a hand to accept her lemonade. It abruptly dropped to her lap as she recognized Stefan, and she curled away from him, pressing back into the seat as he boldly sat in Colin’s seat. He tried to reach for her hand, and she jerked away. “Do not touch me. Leave me alone, or I will shout for assistance.”

“You will come with me right now, sister. I know of your illegal marriage, and I will challenge it. I refuse to recognize it. You belong to me, just as you always have.” He lifted a hand, grabbing her hair that had been so artfully arranged by her new abigail, disturbing the style.

She found that outrageous far more than his hand upon her, so she lifted hers and slapped him as hard as she could across the cheek. “Let go of me right now. I will go nowhere with you. My husband will return shortly and—”

“He is not your husband. I refuse to allow it or accept it. You are coming home with me, and I shall show you what a true husband does.” His eyes narrowed. “First, you will pay for giving away what was mine.” He put his hand on her thigh, clearly intent on trying to touch her through the dress.

She scrambled away from him and got to her feet. He followed, pressing her against the wall of the box. If she went back much farther, she risked falling. She wasn’t going to die just to escape him, so in an act of desperation, she lifted her knee and drove it as soundly as she could into his testicles. Bella had once instructed her on how to defend herself if she was ever in a situation that required escape.

Maddy wasn’t entirely certain why it was such a vulnerable area, but it certainly served its purpose, because Stefan reeled back from her, cupping himself as he fell to his knees. “You bitch. You shall pay for that as well.” He sounded shrill with pain, and his face was burning red. He was clearly in agony.

She grinned, enjoying every moment. “If I were you, I would crawl out of here before my husband returns. He already wishes to destroy you. You will only hasten the process.” She cared nothing for Stefan’s situation.

“You have cost me my position in the Ton, and you have caused me years of aggravation. You will not escape. You belong to me, Maddy.”

“I believe we have already had this discussion,” said Colin with chilling precision as he returned. Maddy admired his self-control as he placed a plate and a glass on the side of the box before striding forward to lift Stefan to his feet. He dragged him by the scruff of his neck. “You will never come near my wife again. Tomorrow morning, we shall meet at Hyde Park, and I will run you through. You will die knowing you have lost everything at my hand.”

Stefan paled considerably. “I did not agree to a duel.”

“The challenge has been issued. Are you a coward as well as a blackguard?”

Maddy was firmly convinced he was, but he seemed to stiffen his spine as he glared up at her husband. “Very well. We shall meet at dawn and decide this once and for all. After I have run you through, I will go to your home and take Maddy in the bed you have used to despoil her. I will fuck her in every way I have dreamed, and I will make her scream my name as I obliterate all memories of you from her mind.”

Maddy actually laughed. “Good luck with that.”

Colin apparently wasn’t as amused by his words. He punched her stepbrother, though not enough to knock him out, and then dragged him to the curtained entry. “You there, remove this filth from the venue.” He directed that to an employee in the hallway as he tossed Stefan out, sending the man flying a few feet.

He hit the floor with a sickening crunch, but unfortunately, he was on his feet a moment later, though he looked disoriented as two men in uniforms denoting they worked at the opera quickly dragged him out, taking him through a side entrance instead of across the foyer, though she would’ve enjoyed Stefan having his humiliation paraded in front of the Ton.

She was certain there had been enough witnesses in other boxes to see what had occurred, and she decided to fuel scandal a little more by throwing herself into Colin’s arms and kissing him soundly as his arms wrapped around her. “You have impeccable timing, husband.”

“And apparently, you have some skill with your knee or foot. He appeared to be quite in agony before my arrival.” He was clearly proud of her as he kissed her again.

When he seemed like he might want to increase their ardor, she forced herself to pull back. “I would very much like to see the rest of the performance before we leave, Colin.”

With a sigh, he nodded as he retrieved the glass for her, handing it to her, along with a plate. “They did not have pistachio cookies, but I thought you might appreciate trying an opera cake. It is delicious.”

She eyed the rich confection with appreciation, surprised by how quickly she could return her attention to the treat before her, and the performance of the opera to follow. Stefan seemed hardly a thing to notice now, though she was concerned about Colin’s safety. As she took a bite of the cake and moaned with appreciation, she said, “Are you good with a sword, husband?”

“I am quite good with a sword, wife. I have trained under two excellent masters, and I have also taken lessons at Gentleman Jackson’s.”

“They teach swordplay there?”

“No. They teach fighting.”

“Good.” She frowned. “I do not expect Stefan will fight fairly. If given the chance, he will no doubt take any advantage he has.”

“Like kicking me in the testicles?” he asked softly as he brought his lips to her ear. He pretended to wince. “That is the very definition of dirty fighting, and I could not be prouder of you, my love.” He kissed her again before pulling back of his own accord, apparently recalling her desire to finish the opera.

Admittedly, it wasn’t as compelling as it had been, but since he seemed content to settle in for the other half of the performance, she forced back the surge of desire she was feeling as she grinned at him. “That is precisely the sort of trick I would expect from a man like him. I implore you to be careful. I would not wish to lose you now.”

That was as close as she could bring herself to making an admission that she cared about him, but she didn’t miss the way his eyes lit up. It was clear he took hope in her words. She was glad of that, because she was more and more certain she was falling in love with him, and the prospect wasn’t nearly as frightening as it had been even days ago.