The Wedding Runaway by Katy Madison Page B

There is no telling who will win on that front. "
    " I ' m not ever marrying again , and I don ' t know that I believe in the curse. " Only God knew if he would feel anything for a woman ever again. Perhaps his first marriage had soured him so that only boys attracted him now. Not that he was winding down that twisted path. He ' d send Leonard running back to Boston , long before that got out of control. " If you don ' t wish for me to use the pistols , then— "
    " I ' m happy to let you use them. Did Keene tell you I found writing under the lining? It ' s in Spanish and rather cryptic. "
    " The curse , I suppose? " Victor stood and followed his host down the stairs.
    " Yes , pretty much as we ' ve been told. The winner will get a happy marriage and the loser a marriage worse than hell. There is a verse about breaking the curse. "
    " Really? " All right, so he knew that he had lost the first duel he fought with the cursed pistols , but he really did not intend to marry again. There was no saying that his being the loser of the first duel wouldn ' t follow him forever. In fact , he rather suspected it would. Of course if all went as planned , Leonard would never actually fire one of the pistols.
    Tony opened the door to the library and gestured Victor inside. " I haven ' t worked out all the verses. Spanish isn ' t my best language , and it does seem to be in an unusual dialect. "
    Tony pulled a walnut box out of a cupboard and lifted the lid. He shifted the red velvet lining, revealing an etched copper plate.
    Victor stared down at the ornate Spanish tooling and the mother-of-pearl grips on the pistol handles. They were beautiful weapons , and they made his stomach turn.
    " I ' ll take my duties as second seriously ," said Tony.
    That meant Tony would do his best to see the disagreement settled without confrontation. " Yes , I should expect you to ," said Victor.
    A cold feeling skittered down his spine. Perhaps it was the memory of the day Keene shot him. Or that these cursed pistols had led to the horror of his marriage. Or perhaps some unease about the future , should he actually have to use them in a duel with Leonard.
    The butler opened the door. " Mr. Davies , sir , my lord. "
    " What took you so long? " blurted Victor.
    Keene gave him an odd look and brushed off his sleeve. " Whatever possessed you to offer Ponsby a king ' s ransom for that horse? I cannot afford so much. "
    " How is Leonard? " Victor didn ' t want to talk about the horse.
    " He is upset. How do you expect him to be? He doesn ' t wish to fight with you , because he said you ' ve been very kind to him. I expect he ' ll meet whatever conditions you set. "
    Victor threw himself onto a sofa.
    Apparently ready for the moment , Tony handed him a glass of brandy. " Is this fight justified? "
    " Of course it is ," said Victor. " He implied I murdered my wife. I know there are rumors. "
    " Bound to be rumors after her last appearance in London ," said Keene. " She provided a lot of grist for the mill. "
    Victor shuddered. " I didn ' t kill her. "
    " We know that. Not even Leonard suspected that or meant to imply it. Perhaps you inferred it? " said Keene.
    " For God ' s sake, whose side are you on? You were there. " Was his own half-brother turning against him?
    " I ' m his second. Remember? You appointed me. And he only said what he said after you threatened to kill him. "
    " I didn ' t threaten to kill him. I just threatened him with bodily harm or a nasty dunking. " Victor leaned forward and rubbed his forehead. He didn ' t want to hurt Leonard , he just wanted to kill his unnatural urges toward the boy. " He needs to go home. "
    " Please , Victor , I have a bad feeling about this ," Keene said. " Let me go back to Mr. Hall and tell him you have accepted his apology ."
    " No. He is not getting out of this so easily. " Victor rubbed his face , hiding the wash of emotions.
    " Then if you would name your conditions for satisfaction , we will see if Mr. Hall is