That was a relief. "How lovely. I am sorry I did not recognize you."
He shrugged. "We"ve only met once before, and it was long ago. I"d heard you were in town and had married Kincaid. I should have called, but...I have no excuse."
"I have only been in town a few days."
"I know." The man"s wry smile grew. "Your husband has been keeping you close."
She wished that were true. "How do you know Jack?"
"Kincaid and I have known each other a long time." He glanced around, his gaze finding a nearby alcove with a thickly cushioned settee. "Would you like to sit?"
"Yes, please," she said gratefully. Soon they were settled on the settee. She peeped at him through her lashes, noting how elegant he appeared in his blue coat and buff breeches. With his dark hair, he reminded Fiona a bit of Gregor.
Campbell"s gaze followed the bustle of the crowd. "This is a nice little entertainment, isn"t it?"
"Little? It looks as if every person in London is here! I never thought a gaming h.e.l.l would be so crowded."
He laughed. "A gaming h.e.l.l? What gave you that idea?"
"Why...I thought...The coachman said Jack sometimes comes here."
"The Harringtons always have cards, but they are hardly a gaming h.e.l.l."
"Oh," she said, a bit disappointed.
He chuckled at her expression. "If you"d like, I would be glad to take you to some gaming h.e.l.ls."
"Will they be scandalous?"
"Some are, and some are quite respectable. I think you might find the scandalous ones a bit much.
Others are quite unexceptional except for the level of play. They can be steep." His eyes twinkled down
at her. "I take it you like to play cards?"
Fiona triumphantly held her reticule aloft so that it swung heavily from her wrist. "I won a good bit tonight already!"
He laughed, moving a little closer, his shoulder against hers. "I shall have to take care that I do not lose my funds to you. It"s a good thing we met; I can sponsor you for some of the better h.e.l.ls."
She tilted her head to one side. "Sponsor?"
"Yes, someone must vouch for you. It"s the only way to keep the lower cla.s.ses out. I am certain you"l be admitted." A faintly bitter twist touched Campbell"s mouth. "Black Jack is received everywhere.Once people know you are his wife-" He shrugged.
"And you?" she asked, tilting her head to one side. "Are you received everywhere?"
"Everywhere there is not an anxious mama with a marriageable daughter."
Fiona laughed. "I can see you are a dangerous man."
Something flickered behind Campbell"s eyes. He did have amazingly blue eyes, all the more vivid for his
black hair. They weren"t as piercing as Jack"s, though. Jack"s eyes robbed one of speech, stole one"s breath, and made the most intimate thoughts invade one"s brain. Campbell"s eyes were just...a lovely blue.
He regarded her for a long moment. "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?"
She pursed her lips. "Not today, no."
He chuckled. "That is a crime. Whatis that husband of yours thinking?" He leaned forward, his breath
brushing her ear. "If you weremy wife, you"d hear that every day."
"Which would make it ever so tedious. Repeating compliments cheapens them."
Campbell glanced about the room. "Where is Kincaid? I did not see him in the card room."
"He had another engagement this evening," she said with credible nonchalance.
"So you came alone? You and Kincaid must be one of those modern couples who do not forever lock arms when you go out."
"We have our own lives," Fiona said coolly.
"If you weremy wife, you would not be here alone."
"Then it is a good thing we are not married, Mr. Campbell. I would greatly resent being told what to do."
"A woman of spirit. How amusing."
"A man of improper address. How boring."
His laughter rang out. "Jack clearly has his hands full. You are a lovely, spirited woman, Lady Kincaid."
He took her hand. "I enjoy that very much."
She pulled free, noticing that some couples had begun to dance. "I love the Scottish reels. Do you dance, Lord Campbell?"
His smile told her he had noticed her change of topic, but he said, "I do indeed. Would you like to join the next set?" He bent closer and said in a low voice, "I would be honored to partner the loveliest woman here."
She"d thought it would be exciting to be admired, but in all honesty, she was finding it annoying. Rather like listening to one"s aunt tell one how pretty one was. Of course, it wasn"t merely being admired that was nice; it was being admired by someoneyou admired in return.
She looked at Campbell. "I wonder that Jack has never mentioned you."
Campbell shrugged. "Your husband has no love for me, nor I for him."
"Why is that?"
"A little disagreement over a woman."
"Oh?"
Campbell"s gaze flickered past Fiona to the other side of the room.
Fiona followed his gaze. Surrounded by a crowd of men was a tall, blond, striking woman. "That woman?"
"Yes. Lady Lucinda Featherington."
Fiona gripped her reticule tighter. "You had an argument with Jack over that woman?"
"Yes. We both wished to be her...friend."
"And?"
"She did not choose me."
Fiona"s heart sank. It could not be. Surely Jack would have said something. But how? She"d abducted him and married him so quickly. What if his heart had been already engaged?
The thought struck her with the force of a blow. "Is he...Is Jack still-" She could not finish the sentence.
Campbell must have sensed her distress, for he immediately said, "Ibelieve he ended it..." He paused for a significant amount of time.
Fiona"s imagination raced. Oh, G.o.d, what had she done? She could not look away from the woman"s blond perfection. She was beautiful, cultured, fashionable-everything Fiona was not.
Campbell"s hand came to rest over hers. "Lady Kincaid-Fiona. Don"t allow Lucinda to worry you. It"s obvious Jack cares more for you than he ever did for her."
Hope sputtered to life. "Do you think so?"
"Absolutely. He married you, not her."
Fiona"s heart sank to the bottom of her jeweled slippers. Suddenly, she wanted to move, stop thinking, stop imagining Jack with that woman. "They are beginning the new set. Did you wish to dance?"
"Absolutely!" Campbell took her hand. "Come, let"s-"
"No." A deep voice came from behind Fiona. "I believe this dance is mine."
A heated shiver raced down her body and pooled in her stomach.
"Kincaid." Campbell gave him a thin smile. "What a surprise."
"I"m sure it is," Jack said, slipping a hand around Fiona"s waist and neatly pulling her to him. "If you don "t mind, Campbell, I plan on dancing with my wife."
"Well, well, well," Gregor said, arriving next. "If it isn"t Alan Campbell, the scourge of Scotland."
Dougal took in the situation at a glance. "Making up to our sister, were you? I suppose you didn"t realize we were in town."
Campbell"s face turned a mottled red. "No," he said stiffly. "I did not."
"Pity," Dougal said. "You might have saved yourself some trouble."
"And some bruises," Gregor added cheerfully. He leaned forward and said in a confidential tone, "I have to keep an eye on my sister, you know. Scare off the scalawags."
Campbell sent him a dark glare. "I was just leaving." He bowed to Fiona. "I hope we may speak again sometime." He turned on his heel and left.
Jack caught a look of sympathy on Fiona"s face. "d.a.m.n it, Dougal," he growled. "I didn"t need your help to take care of Campbell." "Oh, it"s no problem." Gregor waved a hand. "Besides, we"re glad to see our sister." He kissed Fiona soundly on the cheek. "h.e.l.lo, la.s.s. I hope you"re doing well."
"I"m fine, thank you," she said in a decidedly frosty tone. "I am surprised you have not yet visited me." "We were going to do that tomorrow," Dougal said a bit uneasily. Fiona met his gaze. "At ten?" Dougal and Gregor exchanged surprised glances, then nodded. "At ten," Gregor agreed. She turned to Jack. "I would like that dance now, my lord." Jack immediately took her hand. "So would I." With that, he swept Fiona into the dance. Fiona tried not to compare Campbell"s rather slack grip to Jack"s firm one and failed miserably. There was just somethingright about Jack. Which annoyed her very much. "How did you know I was here?"
she asked. He looked down at her, his glance hot and possessive. "I didn"t. I"ve been to three other places. I was fortunate to find you at this one."
He turned her swiftly, his arm firm about her, his hand warm clasping hers. Her skirt whirled, a faint swirl of air tickling her bare skin, and the colors in the room softened and blurred. The air flowed from the terrace door, the music flowed around them. And there she was, no longer alone but with Jack. She frowned.And with Lucinda Featherington.
"Fiona, we must talk," Jack said in a grim tone. "It is not safe for you to go about town alone."
"I came with the coachman and two footmen, so I hardly think I was in any danger."
"Fiona, you know what I mean."
"Indeed I do. You think that you should be able to do what you want to do, when you want to do it,
while I should wait at home and notwant at all."
He frowned. "No, that is not what I mean."
"Then whatdo you mean? I can make no sense of your complaints at all."
He glowered down at her. "You are being difficult."
"If taking action when I am unhappy is being difficult, then that is what I am."
There was a pointed silence.