going to make a fine, passionate wife, especially if you show as much interest in me as you do to Lord Tristan.”
“Please, my lord.” She struggled to get him to release her arm. “I don’t wish to marry you. I will never love you. I love Tristan.”
A fierce growl rattled through his throat and suddenly, both hands were on her arms as he roughly pressed his body against hers. “I care not about love. Only possession. You will be mine and there is nothing anyone can do about it.”
“Y—y—you are wrong. Tristan promised he’d make things right.” Fear shook through her body.
He cackled a laugh. “Oh, my dear Diana, how wrong you are to put so much trust in a Worthington brother. I can assure you, once Tristan realizes what kind of woman you are, he will turn and run far away from you and your miserable, penniless family.”
“What are you talking about? He knows what kind of woman I am.”
He stared into her eyes for the longest time before a smile snuck across his face. “Am I to believe that you don’t even know what kind of family you have? If any true nobleman learned of your family’s dark secret, I assure you, nobody would look upon you even if you were lying in the gutter and they had to step across you to get to the other side.”
“Lord Hollingsworth, please.” She struggled against him. “You are not making any sense. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Just know this,” he said in a lower voice as he brought his face closer to hers, “once the secret is out, I will be the only man who will want you, and you will be happy that I’m such an understanding husband.”
Behind her, a loud curse rent through the barn mere seconds before Hollingsworth was ripped from her side and fell to the ground. Tristan stood over him, his hands fisted, ready to strike. She sobbed with relief. But really…would Tristan’s presence indeed bring relief at all or only make things worse?
His eyes met hers. Worry etched his expression. “Are you all right?”
“Y—yes. I thank you for saving me. Again.”
On the ground, Hollingsworth muttered curses as he stood. “You have crossed me for the last time, Worthington.” He aimed his curse toward Tristan as he jumped to his feet.
Tristan glared, his blue eyes as hard as steel. “I told you earlier, I would not let you marry Diana.”
“And I told you that you don’t have a choice!” Hollingsworth thundered as he rushed forward.
Growling, Tristan punched Hollingsworth in the nose, and the older man fell back to the ground.
She gasped and covered her mouth, but heard other gasps around her. Startled, she swung around to look behind her. Several people from the village had gathered. Embarrassment washed over her. Scandal was about to explode, and this kind of gossip would spread like wildfire.
Hollingsworth’s evil laugh pulled her attention back to him. A trickle of blood dripped from his mouth.
“Lord Tristan, I grow tired of your attitude. This between us will end now.” He swallowed hard. “Better yet, it will end tomorrow morning. At sunrise, I challenge you to a duel at Harvey’s Cliffs. Be there with a second, or your name—and your family’s name—will be reduced to that of cowards.”
Tristan threw a glance over his shoulder at the crowd who was growing larger by the second, and then looked back at Hollingsworth. Tristan pulled his shoulders back and lifted a stubborn chin.
“I accept your challenge.”
“And the winner will have Miss Baldwin as their wife,” Hollingsworth added.
A cold hand wrapped around Diana’s arm. Her mother stood beside her with a face void of color. “We are leaving now !” she grumbled.
“Yes, Mother.”
Diana looked back and Tristan. A soft smile bracketed his face and he mouthed the words don’t worry. Her heart burst with happiness and gave her courage to leave with her mother and face the wrath she knew would soon be coming from her father.
Harvey’s Cliffs were well
“Please, my lord.” She struggled to get him to release her arm. “I don’t wish to marry you. I will never love you. I love Tristan.”
A fierce growl rattled through his throat and suddenly, both hands were on her arms as he roughly pressed his body against hers. “I care not about love. Only possession. You will be mine and there is nothing anyone can do about it.”
“Y—y—you are wrong. Tristan promised he’d make things right.” Fear shook through her body.
He cackled a laugh. “Oh, my dear Diana, how wrong you are to put so much trust in a Worthington brother. I can assure you, once Tristan realizes what kind of woman you are, he will turn and run far away from you and your miserable, penniless family.”
“What are you talking about? He knows what kind of woman I am.”
He stared into her eyes for the longest time before a smile snuck across his face. “Am I to believe that you don’t even know what kind of family you have? If any true nobleman learned of your family’s dark secret, I assure you, nobody would look upon you even if you were lying in the gutter and they had to step across you to get to the other side.”
“Lord Hollingsworth, please.” She struggled against him. “You are not making any sense. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Just know this,” he said in a lower voice as he brought his face closer to hers, “once the secret is out, I will be the only man who will want you, and you will be happy that I’m such an understanding husband.”
Behind her, a loud curse rent through the barn mere seconds before Hollingsworth was ripped from her side and fell to the ground. Tristan stood over him, his hands fisted, ready to strike. She sobbed with relief. But really…would Tristan’s presence indeed bring relief at all or only make things worse?
His eyes met hers. Worry etched his expression. “Are you all right?”
“Y—yes. I thank you for saving me. Again.”
On the ground, Hollingsworth muttered curses as he stood. “You have crossed me for the last time, Worthington.” He aimed his curse toward Tristan as he jumped to his feet.
Tristan glared, his blue eyes as hard as steel. “I told you earlier, I would not let you marry Diana.”
“And I told you that you don’t have a choice!” Hollingsworth thundered as he rushed forward.
Growling, Tristan punched Hollingsworth in the nose, and the older man fell back to the ground.
She gasped and covered her mouth, but heard other gasps around her. Startled, she swung around to look behind her. Several people from the village had gathered. Embarrassment washed over her. Scandal was about to explode, and this kind of gossip would spread like wildfire.
Hollingsworth’s evil laugh pulled her attention back to him. A trickle of blood dripped from his mouth.
“Lord Tristan, I grow tired of your attitude. This between us will end now.” He swallowed hard. “Better yet, it will end tomorrow morning. At sunrise, I challenge you to a duel at Harvey’s Cliffs. Be there with a second, or your name—and your family’s name—will be reduced to that of cowards.”
Tristan threw a glance over his shoulder at the crowd who was growing larger by the second, and then looked back at Hollingsworth. Tristan pulled his shoulders back and lifted a stubborn chin.
“I accept your challenge.”
“And the winner will have Miss Baldwin as their wife,” Hollingsworth added.
A cold hand wrapped around Diana’s arm. Her mother stood beside her with a face void of color. “We are leaving now !” she grumbled.
“Yes, Mother.”
Diana looked back and Tristan. A soft smile bracketed his face and he mouthed the words don’t worry. Her heart burst with happiness and gave her courage to leave with her mother and face the wrath she knew would soon be coming from her father.
Harvey’s Cliffs were well
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