relentless, pawing at him as he backed away, heedless to his grasping hands as he fought to get her under control.
Something hard came against his back—the pianoforte—and she dropped to her knees before him, busy hands ripping at his fall. He had just made up his mind that a foot to the chest wouldn’t injure her too badly, when the sound of a dull thud rang out through the room.
Carlotta froze, her head whipping in the direction of the door. Calliope stood on the threshold, a music stand and scattered sheet music littering the floor at her feet. She looked horrified, one hand clapped over her gaping mouth, eyes accusing as she took in the damning scene.
Momentarily swiveling his gaze down to Carlotta, he glowered. “Take your hands off me. Right now.”
The woman finally responded to the threat in his tone, though she lost none of her bravado, crossing her arms and giving Calliope a knowing look.
“Oh, Miss Barrington. You’ve arrived just in time! Dominick is reluctant to break the rules of your arrangement, but I’m sure if we pool our funds, we can convince him to take us both on at once. What say you?”
With a strangled sound of outrage, Calliope whirled and fled. Dominick nearly doubled over from the force of the terror and panic that slammed into him. But, Calliope was gone, drawing farther away from him with each passing second, and there was no time to waste. He had to explain, to find some way to make her understand that he’d wanted none of what Carlotta had offered him.
He didn’t spare a thought for Carlotta, who stood staring after him as he rushed from the room. Calliope was running, tearing down the corridor in a flurry of pink skirts. Desperation pounding a rapid cadence in his chest, Nick gave chase.
Calliope stormed through the doors leading outside, uncertain where she was going but needing to escape. Her entire body trembled, and a hollow ache spread through her middle. She felt as if she would be violently sick, the threat of tears stinging her eyes.
While she might be confused and shocked by what she had witnessed, the greater concern was what had been revealed by Lady Thrush. For years, she had been so careful. She had guarded her reputation, using it as a shield against a world that would only accept her so long as she was above reproach. That had all been destroyed, and the fault was her own.
“Calliope!”
Dominick’s voice rang out behind her. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she increased her speed—even knowing she had no chance of outrunning him.
“Callie, wait!”
She lowered her head against the bright gleam of the morning sun and pushed on. Calliope didn’t know what to say or do; she only knew she needed to be away from him, away from the painful truth she had tried to avoid but must now confront.
“Anni!”
She halted in her tracks at the sound of her true name, tangled up with the distress in Dominick’s voice. Whirling on him, she came up against his chest. She reared away from his grasping hands, her own raised to ward him off.
“Don’t!” she bellowed, her voice shaky with sorrow. “Leave me be, Dominick.”
“No. I will not leave you until you listen to me. What you saw … it isn’t what you think. Do you honestly think I would leave your bed this morning and go to her?”
“Of course not! I’m not an idiot. It was plainly obvious that her advances were unwanted and you were trying to extricate yourself from the situation.”
He furrowed his brow and shook his head. “Then why are you angry with me?”
“I am angry with myself, for being so foolish. I let you … I should never have … Oh, God!”
She pressed a hand to her belly, trying to keep her breakfast down and fearing she might fail. Dominick reached for her again, but at her warning glare he backed away, dejection marring his face.
“Whatever has you so upset … I can mend it. Let me make it right.”
“There is no making this right. Can’t you see? She knows. She knows I hired you, there is no telling who else knows or may find out.”
“She doesn’t know the truth.”
“She knows enough! And I’ve behaved so abominably this week it is a wonder the entire party isn’t aware by now.”
“What does it matter? We are getting married. Perhaps we’ll have to do so sooner than we’d planned, but that will make all of this