For the next hour, Luciana was bathed and scrubbed and slathered with scented creams. Her hair was washed and braided with pearls. Gabriella decided on a gold brocade gown, claiming it would make her look like a princess.
The time flew by too quickly for Luciana, for she dreaded the moment she’d have to meet the Beast. By the time she was declared ready, her dread had grown into outright fear. She could barely eat any of the bread or cheese that Gabriella had brought to her room. While her maid rushed off to let the duke’s secretary know she was ready, Luciana paced about her room.
Her sister’s warnings flitted through her mind. I heard he killed his nanny and his mother. He fries people with his touch. Sizzle! With a shudder, she paced toward the hearth. Don’t think about it! She needed a distraction.
The letter from her sisters! She checked the opening in the upholstery of the chair where she’d hidden the note. It was still there. In two more days, she was supposed to leave a message on the rock offshore. How would she manage that when she was being so carefully watched?
And what could she possibly write? That assassins wanted to kill her and she was about to marry the Beast of Benwick? She couldn’t frighten them like that. She was frightened enough on her own—
She jumped when the door slammed open.
“Captain,” Jensen protested. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Stay outside,” Captain Bougaire snarled as he shut the door in Jensen’s face.
Oh, no! Panic bubbled up inside Luciana. What if the Beast came now? “You have to leave.”
Alberto Bougaire spun around to look at her, and relief flooded his face. “Thank the Light. There’s a rumor going around that you’re dying. I knew it couldn’t be true.” He strode toward her.
She circled behind the chair to position it between them. “Please leave.”
“No!” He reached for her, but she jumped back. “Tatiana, we have to go. Now! Before the Beast—”
“Stay away from me!”
He lunged for her and grasped her by the shoulders. “You promised you would run away with me. You love me!”
“No!” She struggled to get away, but he pushed her against a wall. Pinning her there with one hand, he gripped her chin with the other.
“Listen to me. No one gets between your legs but me. You’re mine!” He rammed his mouth against hers.
With a strangled cry, she shook her head. No, no! This couldn’t be her first kiss! She shoved with her hands, kicked with her feet, then suddenly he was wrenched off her and flying into a wall.
She gasped. The redheaded man was here! And he’d thrown the captain like he weighed nothing.
“What the hell?” Alberto scrambled to his feet. “How dare you come in here? Guards!”
“They no longer answer to you.” The redheaded man flexed his gloved hands as he glared at the captain. “I informed them that you’ve been dismissed from your post.”
“What?” Alberto eyed him with disdain. “You have no authority over me. And no right to attack me! I should kill you.” He fumbled for his sword, but in only a second the redheaded man whisked a dagger from his boot and pointed it at Captain Bougaire’s neck.
Alberto gulped.
“You truly wish to kill me?” the man said softly. “I’ll give you the chance. Meet me in the courtyard at dawn. Your choice of weapons.”
Luciana’s breath caught. A duel?
“Fine.” Alberto sneered. “I’m the best swordsman in the keep. When I win, I’ll demand my position back. And I’ll claim Tatiana as mine.”
With a hint of a smile, the redheaded man lowered his dagger. “You will not win her.”
Luciana stiffened. “Excuse me? I object to—”
“Don’t worry,” Alberto interrupted, slanting a wary glance in her direction. “I’ll be sure to win you.”
“Nobody is winning me,” Luciana declared. “I object to being a prize at a tourney.”
The redheaded man turned his head to give her a curious look.
His eyes are a beautiful green. Like new leaves in spring. Or a meadow at dawn— She pushed those thoughts away. “I appreciate you rescuing me from the captain’s unwanted attention, but—”
“What?” Alberto huffed.
“I don’t see why either of you should suddenly feel a need to kill each other,” she finished.
“He insulted me!” Alberto pointed at the redheaded man.
“You insulted my woman,” he replied.
Luciana scoffed. “I am not yours. I don’t even know who you are. And both of you had better leave before my betrothed…” A niggling suspicion crept into her pores. Her eyes widened as she stared at the redheaded man.
One side of his mouth tilted up as if he found the situation amusing.
He couldn’t be. This man had arrived with the army, and her betrothed had been delayed. Besides, this man was far too handsome to ever be called a Beast. His dark-red hair gleamed in the sunlight that poured through the windows. His square jaw and sharp jawline were shaded with whiskers a little darker than his hair. And his eyes, that beautiful shade of green, were focused entirely on her.
He arched a brow as if he were asking if she’d figured it out.
She shook her head. He couldn’t be. If he was, then he’d lied. He’d been here all along. Tricking her.
“What’s going on?” Alberto looked back and forth between her and the other man. “Who the hell are you?”