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undisciplined, spiteful madam
such as yourself to be my wife. Indeed, I should consider myself a
very unlucky man indeed if I were ever to find myself burdened with
someone so cruel. I consider it a mercy that I shall now be spared
your affections. Don’t you dare ever speak about my fiancé like
that again, Miss Bradwort. You should have to be of the most
sterling of characters to cast aspersions on anybody else, and
everyone knows you are most certainly not that.”
    With one
last vile look at the onlookers he stomped back outside, and
slammed the door closed behind him with sufficient force that
everyone remained completely silent for several moments before the
hostess desperately signalled for the music to begin so everyone
could dance. When conversation eventually resumed, it was slightly
muted and somewhat less enthusiastic dancers who took to the
floor.
    Before
Ben could find his way back to Lizzie, Angus had already started to
usher people back to the ball and he lost her temporarily in the
crowd. By the time he found her again, she was being marched around
the side of the house toward the waiting carriage, and he had
little choice but to watch her disappear into the night.

CHAPTER
TWO
     
    Once at
Pendlebury House, Lizzie slammed through the front door and stormed
across the hallway. She positively trembled with rage. She didn’t
bother to wait to find out if Julian was going to try to scold her
again. He had attempted to lambast her several times in the
carriage but she had told him to shut up each and every time he had
opened his mouth. In the end he had slouched into sullen silence,
but had continued to shoot daggered looks at her throughout the
entire journey.
    She wasn’t entirely sure whether to be angry at the ton for pitying her,
Julian for humiliating her like that, or herself for letting Ben
take such liberties in the first place. If she had stopped him
right at the very beginning then none of this evening’s horrible
events would have happened. Either way she wasn’t going to take any
more of his pious bullying.
    “Stay
right where you are, Elizabeth Pinner,” Julian said coldly when she
started to climb the stairs. “There are a few things I want to say
to you.”
    “I am
not interested,” she drawled, her face a mask of disinterested
boredom.
    “Oh, I
think you need to listen to what I have to tell you.”
    Lizzie
would have ignored him if it weren’t for something in his icy voice
that sent shivers of alarm down her spine. She stared blankly up
the stairs while she debated what to do. She could go straight up
her room but suspected that he would just follow her. Then she
would have nowhere to go if she reached the end of her tether and
wanted to get away from him. Determined to get this over with as
quickly as possible, she squared her shoulders and turned slowly to
face him with one brow arched with supreme arrogance. Her face was
as cold and impassive as she could make it, and was so unlike her
usual affable self that it made even Julian hesitate and study her
warily. Rather than bluster, as she suspected he wanted to do, he
nodded toward his study.
    “In the
study,” he said, but didn’t wait for her to precede him. He
arrogantly stomped into the study and helped himself to a brandy.
Rather than offer her a drink, he threw himself into a chair
without bothering to wait for her to sit and stared at his goblet
in moody silence.
    Unsurprised by his lack of cordiality, Lizzie took a seat
opposite and tried her hardest to look bored.
    “It’s
time things changed around here,” he began.
    “What?”
she snapped with one brow lifted querulously.
    “You are
right. I am no longer your guardian.”
    Lizzie
frowned. This new, almost malleable side to him was totally alien,
and disturbed her more than the arrogant, churlish side. Her unease
grew as she waited for him to speak.
    “As I am
no longer your guardian, I see no reason why I should accommodate
you any longer.”
    Lizzie
stared at