Page 42 of The Duke of My Desire

“Shut up,” Lovelace hissed, but it was too late. The door swung open, and though he tried to evade it, the heavy door caught him in the arm. His hold on Justina loosened and she pulled free and out of his reach.

“What in heaven’s name is going on here?” an unfamiliar female voice said from the doorway.

“Mother, your pistol!” Gregory yelled as he charged Lovelace and attempted to wrestle the knife away from him.

Mother? Justina watched in shock as the woman reached into her reticule and withdrew a small pistol.

“I do not know who you are, sir,” the duchess said coolly, “but I suggest you take your hands off my son now or I will be forced to shoot you.”

Lovelace looked at the woman pointing a pistol at him and his momentary distraction allowed Gregory to punch him in the face, knocking him back. The knife fell to the floor and Gregory scooped it up and pointed it at Lovelace.

“I should kill you for touching her,” he growled, his voice shaking with his anger. “If you ever come near her again, I will.”

“Gregory...” Justina laid a hand on his arm, and he looked at her, the rage in his eyes fading as he met her gaze.

“Are you all right?” he asked. “Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes as relief struck her, so powerful it rendered her mute.

“What is going on in here?” Mr. Allyn, the rail-thin, craggy-faced innkeeper, bustled into the room. “I heard shouting and⁠—”

He broke off as he took in the scene, his eyes going wide behind his spectacles.

“Ah, Mr. Allyn, I’m glad you’re here,” Gregory said. “This gentleman”—he fairly spat the word out as he gestured at Lovelace with the knife—“accosted the lady and attempted to remove her from the inn against her will.”

“Oh, dear. Oh, dear,” Mr. Allyn murmured, his eyes still round with disbelief.

“If you would be so kind as to call for the magistrate then bring me some rope, we’ll hold the prisoner in your private parlor until the magistrate arrives.”

“Yes, of course. Right away, sir.”

The innkeeper hurried off and returned minutes later with the requested rope and two brawny men who took Lovelace by his arms and muscled him toward the door. As the viscount was escorted from the room, Gregory looked at Justina.

“I’ll be back shortly. Will you be all right in here?”

She nodded. “I’ll be fine.”

He looked as though he wished to embrace her and Justina wanted him to—she wanted it desperately—but he didn’t touch her. And she couldn’t blame him. Not after the way they’d left things. Fresh tears welled in her eyes and she blinked them away.

“I’ll look after her, Gregory,” his mother said. “Go on now. We’ll be fine.”

Gregory nodded and then, after one last look at Justina, he was gone.

Leaving her alone with the Duchess of Paxton.

The two women were silent as they looked at each other, taking the other’s measure. The dowager duchess was a small woman, elegant and smartly-dressed, but her size did nothing to minimize her aura of commanding confidence. Her eyes were dark and sharp, her hair the same shade of auburn as her son’s, but that was where the resemblance ended. She had none of Gregory’s softness—her nose was beakish, her chin pointed, her mouth severe, a duchess through and through.

“I ought to be cross with my son for forgetting the introductions,” the duchess said, “but under the circumstances, I suppose I must forgive him.”

Justina forced a polite smile. “It is lovely to meet you, Your Grace. I am Lady Dunne.”

After everything she’d heard about the dowager duchess, lovely didn’t seem quite the appropriate word, but considering the woman had just saved them all from a terrible situation, Justina figured she owed it to her to keep an open mind.

“Shall we sit?” the duchess said, motioning toward the chairs by the fireplace.

Justina nodded, feeling suddenly very nervous. It seemed as though the duchess had something she wished to say to her, and Justina could think of only one subject she would want to discuss, and that subject was Gregory.

Heavens above, she was in no condition to deal with an overprotective mama right now. Especially one who was also a duchess.