She exhaled softly on a sigh. Dare no longer blamed her for the past, or for what Ivers had done. Nor had he condemned her because she'd been forced by dire circumstances to share her body. She felt cleansed somehow, as if a great burden had been lifted from her.

Her heart felt almost light. She scarcely recognized the feeling. Hope. It was an unfamiliar emotion, something she hadn't allowed herself to feel in years. She was free of the hurtful past at last.

Dare, however, could not forget, it seemed. He lay staring up at the ceiling for a long while.

"How you must have hated me," he said finally.

"No, not you," she replied, her voice soft. "Never you. I hated Ivers. I wanted to kill him."

"I intend to," Dare muttered darkly.

A sharp arrow of anxiety shot through Julienne, and she raised her head from his shoulder. "Dare, you cannot."

"Why not?"

"Because the satisfaction couldn't possibly be worth the possible consequences. If you killed him, you might very well have to flee the country. I couldn't bear it if you sacrificed yourself for my sake."

His green eyes flickered with pain as they searched hers. "Don't you want even the slightest measure of revenge?"

"At one time I did, but now… I only want to bury the past and move on with my life."

"Are you so certain Ivers will let the past stay buried? What did he want with you in Newmarket?"

Julienne flinched at the question. "He wanted money to pay his debts. He threatened to renew those old charges of treason against me if I didn't pay him."

Anger darkened Dare's eyes. "And you intend to surrender to his threats?"

"No, of course not. I told him to go to the devil. He can't hurt me any longer."

"And yet you carry a knife."

"For protection, yes."

Dare's expression hardened. "He won't get away with what he did, Julienne. He deserves punishment for his crimes."

Dare was right, she knew. Ivers shouldn't be allowed to go unpunished. But she couldn't bear the thought of Dare suffering as a result.

She gave him a pleading look. "Dare, please, promise me you won't kill him."

He tightened his jaw. "Very well… I won't kill him outright."

She stared at him a long moment, as if not quite believing him.

"Trust me," he said quietly. "I won't do anything foolish this time."

He was relieved when Julienne finally laid her head back down on his shoulder and allowed him to wrap his arms around her. But even while relishing the sensual contentment of their embrace, Dare found himself staring at the dancing shadows on the ceiling, hating with a lethal passion the vile bastard who had violated her.

He couldn't let that lie. Ivers would pay for hurting Julienne, one way or another. He would make damned certain Ivers hanged if he had murdered Alice Watson. And if Ivers was an accomplice of Caliban's, he would prove it and let justice take its course…

He hadn't told Julienne about that probable connection yet, and he wouldn't until he had Ivers in chains. This score was his alone to settle. He didn't want Julienne involved, or for her to feel required to face her attacker.

After a while, Dare heard the even sound of her breathing, and his churning thoughts turned from revenge to his own transgressions. He should be flayed alive for leaving Julienne to the mercy of that devil. He wondered how many years would pass before he could call up the memory without being sick to his soul from it.

Dare shut his eyes to cover the surge of emotion clawing inside him. He had never felt so worthless, so unworthy. Julienne had sacrificed herself for him in an effort to save him from being disinherited. It had been a noble gesture, even if misguided, and because of it, her entire life had been shattered.

He inhaled slowly to draw air into his tight, aching chest. He would have given everything he owned to be able to undo the past.

His fingers rose to her hair, caressing the sable tresses as Julienne lay sleeping. Somehow he had to earn her forgiveness. He could never make up for all the pain, for all the wasted years, but he had to try.

A desperate longing welled up within him, a fierce craving to win her heart again. Perhaps if he was incredibly lucky it might be possible…

Vowing to try, Dare slipped from her side, careful not to wake her as he covered her naked body. He intended to deal with Ivers. And then he would put his every resource, every ounce of strength and willpower he possessed, into regaining Julienne's love.

Chapter Fifteen

It was some time later when Julienne woke, missing Dare's warmth. Confusion was her first reaction as she wondered what could have driven him to leave her bed at this late hour.

Then a sharp twinge of panic hit her. Ivers. Would Dare have gone to confront him?

She knew where Ivers was staying, for Riddingham had discovered it for her when she'd claimed the earl was plaguing her with his unwanted attentions.

Throwing off the covers, she hastened to dress.

Dare stood in the darkness of Ivers's hotel room, watching the bastard sleep.

Limmer's Hotel was dark and grimy but always well-patronized; its public rooms were the choice of London's hard-drinking, sporting bucks. It had been the work of a moment for Dare to bribe his way into the earl's bedchamber.

Ivers hadn't heard a sound above his own snores. He was sprawled facedown on the bed, only partially dressed. He'd removed his boots and breeches but not his shirt, and the linen barely covered his white buttocks.

Rage knotting his gut, Dare struck a flint and lit a candle. The clock on the mantel said it was four in the morning. Withdrawing the blade from his swordstick, Dare poured an ewerful of water over the earl's rumpled head.

Ivers bolted upright, sputtering in startlement, only to find Dare's rapier point pressed into the hollow of his throat.

He froze, his eyes wide with alarm. "W-Wolver-ton… what…? What do you w-want?"

Dare's mouth curled in a wintry smile, a baring of teeth. "I expect you can guess. You were never Julienne Laurent's lover."

"I… yes, of course I was. If she said otherwise, she is lying."

Only with effort did Dare keep rigid control of his fury. Using the steel point of the rapier, he traced the scars on Ivers's left cheek, pressing hard enough to draw blood. "Would you care to reconsider your answer?"

Ivers hissed in pain as the blade dug into his skin. "Do you mean to call me out?" He eyed the rapier with fright. "You are an expert swordsman. It would hardly be fair odds."

"What kind of odds did you give Julienne Laurent when you violated her?"

"I… I am sorry… It was nothing personal. Your grandfather-"

The rage that flared through Dare burned white-hot. Shifting the tip of the blade down Ivers's shirt-front to his groin, Dare pushed the point into his left testicle.

Ivers screamed and grabbed his loins, while blood trickled from between his fingers.

"I suggest you keep your cries down," Dare admonished in cool drawl, "or my next target will be your heart. You forced yourself upon her, didn't you?"

When Ivers glanced wildly around the room, as if seeking to escape, Dare shook his head.

"No one will come to your rescue. You're completely at my mercy. You defiled her, didn't you?"

"Yes! God, no, please…" Ivers whimpered when the blade moved back up to his throat. "Don't hurt me!"

"Why not?" Dare asked, his voice very, very soft. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you this instant."

Ivers began to sob.

"Perhaps I should cut you into pieces and feed you to the fish in the Thames. You're familiar with the Thames River, aren't you, Ivers? You killed Lady Castlereagh's companion there last month."

"No! I didn't kill her, I swear." When the tip gouged his throat, he fell back on the bed, cringing. "But I can tell you who did."

Dare lowered the rapier. "You begin to interest me."

Struggling against tears, Ivers took a shuddering breath. "I didn't kill the girl, I swear. I wooed her, yes. She was to meet me that night. But when I arrived, she was already dead."

"Who murdered her then?"

"It was Perrine… Martin Perrine."

Dare his stomach muscles tighten. "You saw him with her body?"

"No, but I'm certain he was the one."

Dare hesitated. "Is he Caliban?"

"I don't know. I swear. Perrine tells me what Lord Caliban orders are, and he ordered me to court the girl. I had no choice. Perrine bought up most of my vowels and promised he would call them in if I didn't oblige Caliban."

"What did he want from Alice Watson?"

"To discover Lord Castlereagh's plans-what he intended to do about Napoleon after the peace, where he intended to be."

"So you persuaded her to steal Castlereagh's letters to his wife. And after the girl died, you bribed his servants for information."

"Yes."

"What were you doing at Newmarket? Following me?"

"Yes. Perrine heard you were putting your nose where it didn't belong-searching for Caliban. He thought it amusing, but he wanted to know why. I was supposed to see what I could discover."

"But you accosted Miss Laurent instead."

Ivers gave another whimper. "I didn't touch her!"

"No, you only tried to extort money from her by threatening to spread your spurious tales. What punishment do you think you deserve for that?"

"Please… don't kill me."

"I won't have to. What you did was treason. No doubt you'll hang for it."