Part 36 (1/2)

He stalked from the room, fury rolling off him in waves. She listened as he dressed, his boots. .h.i.tting the floor with hard thuds as he shoved his feet into them.

When he reappeared, he glared at her. Then he pulled her into his arms, kissing her with a pa.s.sion, a savage hunger and desperation, that mirrored her own.

But it was over far too soon.

Pus.h.i.+ng her away, he strode to the door, slamming it at his back.

Chapter 30.

”h.e.l.l and d.a.m.nation, there has to be a way to revoke this accursed decree!” Leo smacked his hands down on the wide mahogany table, sending legal tomes and piles of parchment sliding onto the library floor.

Lawrence looked up from where he sat at the other end of the long table in front of his own huge stack of books and doc.u.ments. ”I'm sorry, Leo. We've looked at this from every possible angle and I can't see any way to break it. I know the barrister who drafted it. Unfortunately for you and Lady Thalia, he's d.a.m.ned good at his job. Too good. I took the liberty of asking him, discreetly, of course, if it could be challenged, but the b.l.o.o.d.y thing is airtight. I've looked it over myself, again and again, and I think you're going to have to face the fact that it's inviolable. Lady Thalia cannot remarry.”

Leo dropped back down into his chair, his spirits as haggard as he knew he must look.

In the month since he'd slammed his way out of Thalia's town house on that dreadful, cold, wet afternoon, he'd spent his time combing through every law text and legal precedent he could lay his hands on.

When he'd had no luck on his own, he'd written to Lawrence for his help. Without asking questions, his twin had traveled back early from Braebourne to lend his aid. But to Leo's fury and frustration, even Lawrence's brilliant legal mind could not find a solution.

”And Ned's had no luck either?” Lawrence said quietly.

Leo shook his head. ”He made a couple inquiries in the Lords about a private bill. He even briefly chatted up the prime minister. But it can't be done. Apparently Kemp has too much influence. He would stop any attempts to change the decree, even if the law was on our side.”

”Which it is not.”

He struck his fist against the table again, causing another couple of pages to slide to the floor. ”I wish to G.o.d I hadn't promised Thalia not to kill that miserable b.a.s.t.a.r.d. What I wouldn't give to get my hands around his neck again. This time I wouldn't stop squeezing until he'd taken his last breath.”

And though he hadn't confided in anyone, not even his twin, he'd seriously considered driving to Kemp's estate to confront him about his vile abuse of Thalia. Demand that Kemp somehow free her from the terms of their divorce. But the man would just laugh and turn him away. He knew it as surely as he knew his own name.

What had stopped him-the only thing really-was his fear that he might actually kill Kemp. He was angry enough, frustrated and outraged enough, that it would be easy given the right set of circ.u.mstances.

Lawrence sent him a wry smile. ”It would solve your problem if Kemp went to an early grave. But Lady Thalia is right. Killing him wouldn't end with you and her living happily ever after. Not if you're hanging from the end of a noose on Tyburn for the murder of her former husband.”

Leo grunted, then turned to stare blankly out the window. A long silence followed.

”She sent Athena back last week,” Leo said dolefully.

”Who is Athena?”

”A horse. A mare I gave her before Christmas. She was training her for Esme to ride this Season.”

”Esme has a horse. And every other breed of animal known to man, come to that.”

”It was just an excuse to get her to accept my gift. I bought the mare for Thalia because she fell in love with her at Tattersall's. I thought once the horse was installed in her stables, she wouldn't have the heart to return her.”

He'd hoped she wouldn't return any of his others gifts as well. But more than two weeks ago, a package had arrived by messenger.

It was the pearls.

He'd drunk himself into a stupor that night.

”She won't see me either. I've called, but Fletcher won't let me through the door. I could barge in, of course, but he's an old man. I don't want to hurt him.”

He drew a ragged breath.

”When was the last time you slept?” Lawrence asked.

Leo shrugged. ”Don't know. I can sleep later.”

”You should sleep now. You're dead on your feet. I haven't said before, but you look like h.e.l.l, Leo. Worse than h.e.l.l actually.”

”That about sums it up.”

Because he was in h.e.l.l.

h.e.l.l without her.

”Go upstairs to your room.” Lawrence gave him a look as if he understood exactly what he was feeling.

And maybe he did. They were twins, after all. Identical in more ways than just the cut of their faces.

”I will. I just want to look all this over one more time.”

”Leo, you know it's not going to do any good.”

”I'm going to look it over one more time,” he repeated through clenched teeth.

For a moment, Lawrence looked as if he was going to argue. But he nodded instead. ”All right. Let's look. One more time.”

”So what do you say, Thalia?”

As if from a great distance, Thalia heard her name. She blinked and looked up, startled out of her reverie. ”What?”

Quietly, Mathilda set her cup onto the tea table between them. ”I asked what you thought. Would you like to go shopping tomorrow in Bond Street? We'll go to all the stores like we used to and you can buy anything you fancy.”

Thalia focused on her friend, realizing the tea in her cup had gone cold. She too set her cup aside. ”You know that I am no longer in the position to buy anything that I fancy. But I'm happy to accompany you and lend my opinion on your purchases.”

”It won't be any fun if I'm the only one buying,” Mathilda said with a little pout. ”Let me treat you to something. It will be my pleasure.”

Thalia sent her friend a brief smile. ”You are all kindness, but you know I cannot accept.”

”At least a hat. Or some gloves? Surely you cannot complain about either of those?”