It was one of the sweetest things Freddy had ever done for her, considering how much danger it put him in, but Lenore couldn’t let Freddy or Reese risk their lives for her sake for a moment longer.
“He’s right,” she said in a small voice, clasping her hands in front of her and lowering her head for a moment. “I did marry him.” She couldn’t bring herself to say she was his wife. As far as she was concerned, she wasn’t.
Freddy and Reese gaped at her, sending startled looks between her and Bart.
“So the blackguard isn’t lying?” Reese asked. For a moment, Lenore worried he was as hurt as Phin had been when he learned the truth.
“No,” Lenore sighed, raising her head and facing Bart with her chin tilted up. “But I did not marry him for love. I married him because…because Bart and I had a deal.” She’d come perilously close to saying she’d married him to save her life, but under the circumstances, with Bart standing right there, leering at her, she thought better of it.
“That’s right, sweet pea, we did,” Bart chuckled, swaggering toward her. “And it’s time you fulfill your end of the deal.”
Lenore took a step back. “I did fulfill my end,” she said, surprised at how defensive she sounded. “I said I’d marry you so that I couldn’t testify against you.” She shot a quick glance to Freddy and Reese, trying to gauge whether they’d let on to Bart that they knew the full story of his villainy.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Bart said, as if trying to sound loving, but coming off as slick. “You know that I want more from you than just your silence.”
Lenore cleared her throat and glanced to Freddy and Reese. “Gentlemen, might I have a moment alone with Mr. Swan?”
“Absolutely not,” Reese said, glaring at Bart. Whether he was as hurt as Phin or not, he was most definitely in her corner.
Freddy rested a hand on Reese’s arm. “If you think it will help,” he told Lenore.
Lenore nodded to him. Reese made a frustrated sound, but moved with Freddy to the doorway.
“We’ll be just across the hall, if you need us,” Freddy said, sending a downright vicious look Bart’s way.
As soon as they left the room, Lenore circled widely around Bart, heading to the fireplace to warm her icy hands. Her heart raced and she wasn’t sure she could feel her feet.
“Those two are as queer as a bent penny, you know,” Bart said, following her to the fireplace.
“You only think that because they’re British gentlemen. You don’t understand their ways,” Lenore said in weak defense of her friends. She spun to face Bart, figuring that if she was going to be brave about things, she had to be brave from the start. “Why are you here, Bart?”
“Why do you think?” Bart laughed. He narrowed his eyes as he approached her, or rather, as he stalked toward her, like a hunter following his prey. “I want my wife back.”
“We both know I’m not really your wife,” Lenore said, proud of herself for not turning into a quivering ball of fear before him.
“Honey, we both know you are,” Bart countered. “At least legally. I aim to make it real as fast as possible.”
She didn’t believe him, not entirely. The lasciviousness in his eyes chilled Lenore to the bone. It was such a sharp contrast to the undisguised desire in Phin’s eyes when the two of them were flirting. But thoughts of Phin, thoughts of the passion between them and the way they created magic together, weren’t going to help her get through the conversation she needed to have.
“I want an annulment, Bart,” she said, holding her head up high.
As if he hadn’t heard her, Bart narrowed his eyes and said, “Why’d you run out on me, Lenore? Imagine my surprise when I got back from explaining things to my pa only to find you gone.”
“You know why I did what I did.” Lenore moved away from him before he could get too close, deliberately placing the sofa between the two of them. “And it’s suited you just fine, until now. Why is that?”
Bart chuckled and rubbed a hand over his mouth as he eyed her like a piece of meat. Again, he ignored her to say, “You probably think marrying me so you could legally keep your mouth shut was enough. But I’m sure you’re not dumb enough to forget all the other benefits being married to you give me.”
“I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain,” Lenore insisted. “I didn’t say a word. I left the country so that no one could ask me about what I saw, about your…your plans.”
“Sweetie, I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid.” Bart stared flatly at her. “You left the country to run away from me and take your money and your sweet ass with you. But I’m not having it. I bought into your sneaky plan to marry me because your daddy is one of the most important members of the WSGA. His vote means a lot. His money means a lot too.”
“You agreed to the plan because of the connections it would give you,” Lenore said, sighing as part of the mystery of why Bart had fallen for her scheme came clear to her. Of course, that was why he would fall for something so transparent. She had considered that the marriage and the connections it would provide could be as important to Bart as saving her life was to her, and now she had confirmation. All the same, she shook her head and took a few more steps away from him. “Well, it doesn’t matter now. I’ve made a life for myself in England, and I’m not going back. I want an annulment.”
“Why?” Bart snorted. “What good would breaking things off with me do you?”
“I…I have a man here who wants to marry me,” she admitted, though she wasn’t about to let on that it was Phin and not Freddy.
Bart narrowed his eyes even more. “You think I’m going to let some lily-livered, limp-wristed limey snatch your dowry out of my hands?”
Lenore’s heart sank. Bart wasn’t going to give up easily. She’d been fooling herself by entertaining the idea he would.
He stalked closer to her. “I want what’s mine.”
“I am not yours.” Lenore stepped away again, fighting to put space between them, even though everything felt as though it were slipping out of her grasp.
“You will be,” Bart growled. “And then we’ll send a little telegram over to your daddy and get him to wire the money that goes along with you to my account.”
Lenore frowned in confusion. “Why didn’t you accost my father for the money as soon as he returned from England last year? Why come all the way to London to bother me instead of going straight to him?”
Bart laughed slowly, but Lenore was certain she saw a shift in his confidence. Something didn’t add up. “You think it’s all about the money, sweetheart? Well, it ain’t.” He prowled closer to her. His words felt like a lie.
Lenore was caught between wanting to stand her ground and get to the bottom of things and wanting to run across the hall to throw herself into Freddy’ and Reese’s protective arms. The latter would have cost her every bit of self-worth she had, though, so she squared her shoulders and glared at Bart. “An annulment, Bart. I won’t settle for anything less.”
“And I want what I’ve wanted all along, pumpkin.” He came to a stop in front of her, raising a hand to stroke her cheek.