Free The Wedding Duel (The Dueling Pistols Series) by Katy Madison

away and their intention to travel was irrelevant.
    "Perhaps if he'd allowed himself to be persuaded sooner or been less honorable in his behavior toward Amelia we should not have this mess on our hands."
    Keene closed his eyes. George had wanted to believe the child was his. He'd even commented during Amelia's pregnancy that he thought there might be twins, she was growing so large so soon. George had believed the child was his long after the rest of them grew suspicious. In fact, his complete confidence that the child—or children—was his convinced Keene that Amelia's pregnancy was of George's making.
    "And if you should find your bride had need of a timely wedding, what will you do?"
    Keene tugged at his lip.
    Victor watched with a mixture of wary trepidation and curiosity.
    "I should not do anything."
    "Would you want to know? Personally, I should prefer to leave the matter in question. I should have liked to think the baby might be George's." Victor shifted and pain lanced down from his torn shoulder. "Go away, man. I need to rest."
    "Are you sure?"
    Victor wanted to throw something at him. At the same time, his rage toward Keene was sliding away. He wanted to hang on to it, yet he didn't want to throw away the friendship that had bound them since they were children. It was just his luck that a man he considered one of his closest friends would try to kill him over a woman. Or, not just a woman, but a woman whose situation tore at the illusions that held them all sane.
    Now there was a baby. His baby, yet not his. Why hadn't Amelia told him?
    And as Victor stared at the ceiling in his room he wondered if it would have made any difference to him then. He honestly didn't know.
     
     

FIVE
     
     
     
    Sophie ran through the frost-tipped grass to the stables. "Where is she?" she demanded of the first groom she saw.
    "Which one, miss?"
    "The one that is to be mine."
    "I don't rightly know. They's in the last two stalls past Thunder and Lightning."
    Sophie lifted the skirts of her morning gown as she stepped around the rakings. She should have changed into her riding habit and boots. She would as soon as she got a look at the horse her papa had bought as her marriage gift.
    When she learned the news from her mother, she'd been too impatient to wait. Actually, she'd hoped to catch her father before he left on his morning ride, but she didn't see him in the dim light of the stables.
    She found the two horses toward the end of the row. Both gleamed in brown glory, but one was older than the other. Sophie moved to the younger of the two horses. Surely this was to be hers. The young mare raised her sleek velvety nose and nudged Sophie, looking for a treat. "I'm sorry, love. I shall bring you an apple next time."
    The mare's large brown eyes appeared to accept her as Sophie reached to stroke the nose of the horse.
    A commotion at the far end of the stable caused the horse to shy back violently only to start and roll its eyes.
    Sophie shushed the horse. "I know, my pretty, it is all strange and new. I bet you need to get out and run free."
    The other horse cast a disinterested glance in their direction. The young mare allowed Sophie to stroke her nose and soothe her. One of the grooms swept by her, and the horse shied away again. "What's her name?"
    "'Ey tell me her's Salamanca and that one is Daisy."
    Daisy, the other new horse, looked like a Daisy, placid and tame. "What kind of a name is Salamanca?"
    The boy shrugged. "I guess her's named after the battle."
    "It's a silly name for a horse."
    "I'm going to have to lead her outside to the paddock so I can muck out her stall."
    "I'll take her out for a quick ride. She needs the exercise to gentle her. Go get me a saddle, please."
    "I'm not sure you should do that, miss," said the groom skeptically.
    "Sure I should. She is to be mine, after all. Poor thing is confused and frightened in a whole new place. She shall be better for being ridden. Besides, she likes me, see."
    The