But first there were other matters to attend to. Eversleigh. The fact that the other man had sought her out in the drawing room was a bad sign, indeed. Robert had to make certain that Eversleigh understood he was very serious about protecting Victoria from vicious rumors. The two men had known each other for years, ever since they'd attended Eton together as young boys. Eversleigh had been a bully then, and he was a bully now.

Robert glanced around the room. Lady Hollingwood's incessant chatter had made him late to the impromptu recital, and now Eversleigh was nowhere to be seen. Robert pushed himself away from the wall and headed into the great hall. He'd find the bastard himself and make sure he kept quiet.

Victoria tried to work on her lesson plans, but she couldn't concentrate. Damn him. She now believed that Robert had been serious in his courtship of her seven years ago, but his actions of late were deplorable at best.

He'd tried to seduce her. Worse, he'd done it in a stranger's room, aware that they could be discovered at any moment. Then he'd had the audacity to bait her in front of her employer and her employer's guests. And then finally he had put her in an impossible position, forcing her to accept him as a dinner partner. Lady Hollingwood would never forgive her for that. Victoria might as well begin packing her bags that night.

But the worst part of all was that he'd made her desire him again. With an intensity that startled her.

Victoria shook her head, trying to change the direction of her thoughts. She turned back to her lesson plans, determined to get at least a bit of work done that evening. Neville had enjoyed their color exercise the previous afternoon. Perhaps she would continue with blue for tomorrow. They could have tea in the blue salon. They could discuss azure and cobalt and midnight and sky. Perhaps she would bring a mirror so they could compare the colors of their eyes. Victoria's were dark blue, while Neville's were light, rather like Robert's.

She sighed, wondering if the man would ever be far from her thoughts.

She lifted her notebook again, preparing to read over the previous days' entries. She spent ten minutes looking at the words without actually reading a thing, and then a knock sounded at the door.

Robert. It had to be.

She had half a mind to ignore the summons, but she knew that he wouldn't go away. Wrenching open the door, she said, “I'm all aquiver to hear your excuse for your behavior, my lord.”

Lord Eversleigh stood on the threshold, his eyes mocking but his mouth amused. “I see you were expecting someone else. Lord Macclesfield, perhaps?”

Victoria flushed red, mortified. “No, I am not expecting him. But I—”

He pushed his way past her, leaving her standing by the door.

“Close it,” he ordered in a low voice.

“I beg your pardon, my lord.”

“The door.”

She did nothing but blink, slowly becoming aware that she was in a very bad position. She took a tentative step toward the hall, not certain where she could run to escape him but willing to give it a try.

He moved like a cat, though, and before she knew it, he'd slammed the door closed and was leaning insolently against it. “You're a very beautiful woman,” he said.

“I think you have the wrong idea, my lord,” she said quickly.

He moved forward, stalking her. “I pride myself on always having the right idea.”

“No, what I mean is…Lord Macclesfield…He and I…We…”

He touched her cheek. “Does Macclesfield find such protestations of innocence endearing? I assure you there is no need to playact on my behalf. I am quite pleased with you the way you are. Spoiled goods can be so very tasty.”

Victoria shuddered with revulsion. “My lord,” she said, attempting to reason with him. “I beg of you—”

He chuckled. “I do like to hear a woman beg. I believe I'm going to enjoy you, Miss Lyndon.” He reached out and pulled her harshly against him. “Just a taste of what you've already given so freely. I promise you won't regret it. I'm a most generous man.”

“I don't want your money,” she ground out, twisting her head to the side. “I just want you to leave.”

“We can do this two ways,” he said, his eyes growing menacingly dark. “You can stop your pretending and have a bit of fun, or you can fight me all the way. I don't particularly care which you choose. Either way, I am assured a good time.”

She slapped him across the face.

“That,” he bit out, “was a mistake.” He threw her onto the bed and then pinned her there with the weight of his body.

Victoria began to fight. And then she began to scream.

Robert tried Eversleigh's room first, but he wasn't terribly surprised when he didn't find him. He then searched the guest wing, thinking that Eversleigh might be entertaining himself with a female guest. No luck, although he did discover that Lord Winwood's wife happened to be having an affair with the husband of Lord Winwood's mistress.

Robert didn't even bat an eyelash. Such behavior was common enough among his set, much as it was beginning to sicken him.

He then tried the card room, knowing that Eversleigh had a fondness for gambling.

“Eversleigh?” one of the players said. “He was here earlier.”

“Was he?” Robert asked, trying to ignore the speculative glances from his friends. It was common knowledge that the two men were not friendly. “Do you know where he went?”

“I saw him heading upstairs,” someone said.

Robert stifled a groan. He would have to search the entire guest wing again.

“Most odd,” someone else added. “He used the servants' stairs.”