With a smile, he took his seat next to Audrey. Immediately she shifted her attention to the man, leaning over to have a more private conversation with him.
“You might try to smile a bit, old man,” Noah whispered. “You look like you’re attending a funeral, not a celebration.”
“It will be Ellison’s funeral if he doesn’t take his hands off your sister,” Griffin whispered back, wincing as Audrey let out a quiet laugh at something Ellison had said.
She shifted her focus back to him. For a moment he could do nothing but stare, taken aback once more by how lovely she was. Two bright blotches of color tinged her cheeks as she stammered a response to one of Ellison’s questions.
She looked away from him with another, deeper blush and he was overwhelmed by a desire to pull her away from the man at her side. Before he could do something so foolhardy, the curtain to the Prince Regent’s box was pulled back and His Royal Highness entered, followed by several of the visiting Crown Princes. All were dressed extravagantly, with the Prince’s clothing clinging to his huge belly in a most unattractive fashion.
The crowd rose when His Royal Highness lifted his hand and the curtain went up. As the strains of “God Save the King” came from the orchestra below and the crowd joined in the singing, Griffin took another look at Audrey and Ellison. She had her face turned toward the Prince and her lilting voice was just distinguishable over the other masculine ones in the box. He’d never heard her sing before and smiled. Her voice fit her, soft and gentle, with just the right tone and pitch.
But when Ellison leaned forward, giving Griffin a clear view of the other man’s face, his heart leapt to his throat and all pleasant thoughts fled his mind. Ellison glared as he clenched his fingers in a tight fist. He didn’t sing, instead he craned his neck to see the others in the Royal box.
For the first time, Griffin saw the treachery in the thin man and the danger Audrey was in. Then Ellison leaned back and his face was hidden from view again behind Audrey’s fan.
The crowd began to settle into their seats, their murmurings creating the din of background noise that would plague the remainder of the night, despite the actors on stage making a valiant effort to perform their trade.
As Griffin began to take his seat, he was distracted by the crowd noise increasing tenfold and several people rising again. With a great cheer, thunderous applause exploded in the theatre.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Audrey’s shocked expression as she rose to her feet. Griffin followed her gaze and found himself looking at Princess Caroline, the Prince’s very publicly estranged wife. Dressed all in black, the woman nodded to the crowd, then shot a pointed look toward her husband before she took her seat and settled in for the performance.
The prince waved to the crowd, bowing at the increased applause he apparently thought was for him. A loud hiss rose above the din. Griffin was sure Audrey jumped at the harsh sound before they all took their seats a second time and the opera began.
Though Griffin listened to the music, he couldn’t help but watch Audrey instead of the scene being played out below. In the dim light of the box, he could see her face was pale and she and Noah exchanged a look. He couldn’t blame them for being nervous. With the country so hostile toward His Royal Highness, their jobs were made all the harder… and more dangerous. Men like Ellison could easily take advantage of the unrest.
Griffin was surprised by how quickly the evening passed. Soon the final curtain had dropped and the crowd was on their feet, applauding the performance and preparing for the crush to reach their waiting carriages.
“It was a good show,” Audrey said as Ellison helped her put her wrap over her shoulders. His hands lingered a moment too long on her creamy skin.
Griffin took a few steps toward Audrey to hold out his arm. He’d had all he could take. Now it was time to end her job, at least for the night. Take her away from Ellison. From danger.
“Lady Audrey, as your host may I have the honor of escorting you to our carriage?” he asked.
“Berenger, that’s a generous offer,” Ellison interrupted with a thin-mouthed scowl. “But I wondered if Audrey might allow me to escort her back to your home. After all, it’s on my way.”
Griffin lowered his outstretched arm with a frown. Certainly Noah wouldn’t allow such a thing! Yet, his friend didn’t immediately decline Ellison’s offer. Some kind of unspoken communication seemed to be passing between the siblings.
Finally, his best friend cleared his throat. “I don’t know if that would be entirely appropriate, Ellison. My sister’s reputation is at stake and for her to be unescorted…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Audrey interrupted with a light laugh. “Oh, Noah, you worry so! Hannah will be with me, so I won’t be completely unescorted. It will only be a short ride, and you wouldn’t do anything improper, would you Mr. Ellison?”
She smiled and Griffin felt sick. How could she pretend to care for Ellison when Griffin knew she hated him in every way? She lied about her feelings as if they meant nothing. Again, he thought of Luci and her practiced duplicity.
“Of course not, my lady,” Ellison answered with a placating nod for Noah.
“Then I accept your offer.” She gave Noah a quick glance, but pointedly refused to acknowledge Griffin. “I’ll see you both at home, my lords.”
With that, the pair was gone, exiting the box before either man could voice another opinion on the matter. Griffin took two steps forward, readying to follow them, when Noah grabbed his arm and wrenched him back.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Going after her!” Griffin pulled away. “What do you think you’re doing letting her go with that murderer?”
Noah’s mouth set in anger. “She’s doing her job and Hannah will be with her.”
“Hannah?” Griffin repeated. “Do you really expect a lady’s maid will be able to fight off that villain if he were to strike?”
To his surprise, Noah let out a long laugh. “You don’t know Hannah.” He lowered his voice to whisper, “She works with us. She’s more of a bodyguard than a lady’s maid, though she does do a fantastic job with Audrey’s hair, doesn’t she?”
Griffin blinked as he tried to picture Audrey’s maid. That tiny woman was a spy?
“Still,” he stammered, trying to regain his composure. “I cannot believe you’d send your own sister to the wolves like that. The man could easily kill her… or worse.” Raw fear gripped him at the thought.
The muscle in Noah’s jaw rippled. “Griffin, you’ve been my best friend my entire life, so I’m giving you latitude. However, if you ever suggest that I don’t value my sister’s life above all else again, I’ll call you out and we’ll settle this matter.”
For a moment the two men just stared at each other, the tension between them palpable. Griffin had never come close to exchanging blows with Noah in all the years they’d been friends. Now in the last month, they’d exchanged more than one set of heated words.
“I’m sorry, Noah,” he finally said as he reached out a hand to his friend. “I shouldn’t have implied anything of the sort.”
With a grunt, Noah shook his offered hand. “Now we should be off. I’d like to be home before Audrey. If we take a few back streets I know, we should make it.”
“Yes,” Griffin said, following his friend out. “It’s a good idea.”
Moving into the crowd, he stifled a growl of frustration. Chasing through back streets to reach his home before Audrey arrived didn’t begin to encompass the kind of protection he desired for her. Not when Douglas Ellison seemed intent on claiming her.