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Chapter 2

“You!” Victoria’s heart drummed rapidly in her chest as if trying to escape from its prison, pumping blood to every corner of her being, warming her from the inside and heating her skin. Her breath caught, and she could not take her gaze away from the familiar—and oh, so lovely—features of her husband.

Her chest leapt as if tugged by the strings attached to her heart, dragging her entire body toward the man she had married. A man she used to love.

She took two steps in his direction before stopping herself in her tracks.

What was she doing?

Surely this feeling he elicited from her was rage. Yes, yes, rage. Because…

For a moment, she forgot why she was supposed to hate her scoundrel of a husband.

Ah, yes. Because he was a liar and a bastard. And the reason for all her misfortunes.

“Him?” His voice was mocking, his eyes glinting with mischief like they always did. She used to love that fire in his eyes.

Him what? He probably saw her confusion because he tilted his head toward the disappearing Lord Porter. “Really?”

“You dare criticize him?” Her face exploded with furious heat.

“You do realize,” he said leisurely, before putting an unlit cheroot between his teeth and clamping it down, “that that man is a coward. He is not very bright, either. Unlucky, too. Lost half of his fortune in cards. And to top it off, he is rather cowardly. I am willing to wager that if you were ever in any sort of peril, he wouldn’t even try to save you. The most he would do is throw a shoe in the direction of trouble and run away, leaving you behind.”

Victoria narrowed her eyes. “I do not need him to have luck or courage or even a fortune. I have that in spades. And why would I ever be in peril when I am with him? Peril only surrounds you.”

He shrugged and stepped forward. Victoria instinctively stepped back.

He smirked but didn’t continue his advance. “You are a princess. Why wouldn’t you be in peril?”

Victoria huffed a breath. “I am safe as long as I stay away from you.”

“You should have chosen the Earl of Pembroke,” William said in a leisurely contemplation. “You have danced with him, haven’t you? At least he has mettle.”

Victoria blinked, otherwise frozen in a stupor. She had danced with the earl a couple of times. He was rather handsome and elegant, she had to admit, although he was about twice her age.

He was also silent. Not in an awkward way, rather it was a different kind of silence. Deadly. As if he was planning something ominous. Something that had nothing to do with her or any other lady in the ballroom.

Although, who was she to judge? She had never known there was something off with William. If she’d ever felt anything ominous, it should have been from him. She’d married him having no idea what a criminal he truly was.

Either way, Pembroke so rarely attended social events that she hadn’t truly considered him as a prospective lover.

How did William even know that she had danced with him? She narrowed her eyes and gritted through her teeth “Were you spying on me?”

William looked around in mock confusion. “What gave it away?”

Suddenly, Victoria remembered all those moments when she’d felt as if someone’s eyes were on her. As if someone was burrowing into her soul through the distance. She always felt William’s presence beside her but always dismissed those thoughts as childish dreams.

What if she had been right? What if he had been following her all this time?

“Bastard!” she cried and wished she had something to throw at him. Then she added in Russian for a good measure, “Ubludok!”

“Yes,” he answered calmly. “I think we’ve already established that is exactly what I am.”

“How long have you been following me?” she seethed. “And what gives you the right to spy on me?”

“I am your husband,” he said evenly. “It is my duty to protect you.”

Victoria balled her hands by her sides, a breath whooshing out of her lungs. She was so tired. “To protect me from what exactly?”