The Bachelor Bargain (Secrets, Scandals, and Spies)

by Michaels, Maddison

  “What are you saying?”

  “I am saying that there are consequences to your actions. What you do doesn’t only affect yourself, it has ramifications for all those you love. You must think carefully to determine whether you are willing to sacrifice ever seeing your family and friends again for love. Because, make no mistake, my dear, that is what you may be giving up if you choose to follow your heart instead of your head. And scandal would follow them, too, from your actions. There would be no going back.”

  With a sinking heart, Livie realized the truth in her aunt’s words. “I know.”

  “One gets caught up in the moment, my dear.” Demelza shrugged. “Entirely understandable, but I do caution you to make certain you understand exactly what you would be giving up to follow your heart. It is a heavy price to pay. Your father would be heartbroken to never see you again, and would suffer Society’s censure, as would your brothers, too.”

  “Excuse me, Lady Olivia?” Mrs. Brooks’s voice rang out from the doorway of the library, abruptly interrupting them. “Mr. Colver is on the phone for you.”

  Livie blinked, trying to concentrate on what the woman had said. “He’s on the telephone?”

  “Yes, my lady,” Mrs. Brooks said. “The device is in Mr. Colver’s study.” There was a note of disapproval in the woman’s tone.

  “Would you be able to show me the way?” she asked, as she took her cane and stood.

  “Yes, my lady.” Mrs. Brooks nodded. “Please follow me.”

  And with that the woman spun on her heel and left the room.

  “If you will excuse me, Aunt.” Livie turned and began to follow the woman from the room.

  “Just remember what I have said,” her aunt’s voice drifted across the room. “For there would be no going back.”

  How could Livie forget it? With a heavy heart, she followed Mrs. Brooks to the study, to where presumably Sebastian would be waiting on the other end of the phone line.

  The very thought of speaking with him, particularly after just talking with Demelza, filled her with both anticipation and dread. What did he want to say to her? Especially considering how they had left things earlier.

  “Here you go, my lady.” Mrs Brooks gestured to an open door, which housed Sebastian’s study.

  She thanked Mrs. Brooks and walked into the room before the door was closed behind her, leaving Livie alone. The room was deeply masculine, with a rich mahogany desk in the center of the space and matching bookshelves lining the walls. And there, on the middle of his desk, was a wooden telephone with the receiver piece lying beside it. She’d never actually used a telephone herself and had to admit she was somewhat hesitant about the thing. Mostly she’d seen only the big wall ones, not the latest desk telephones.

  Trust Sebastian to have the latest and best. Still, it looked rather small, and how on earth did one’s voice travel through cable lines to be projected hundreds and hundreds of miles away? It was completely remarkable. No wonder the queen had exclaimed the device quite extraordinary when it was first introduced to her seven years ago by its inventor, Mr. Bell.

  Livie eyed the thing, which had brass round pieces on each end, with one end having a black type of scoop attached to it. That must be the piece that you talk into, she guessed. The whole thing was connected to a wooden base with a thick piece of cord. She tentatively picked up the handle piece, noting it was rather heavy, before placing it up to her ear. “Hello?”

  “Livie? Is that you?”

  “Sebastian?” The voice on the other end was slightly crackly, but she instantly recognized it as his, and her heart slammed in her chest in response. “Where are you? Are you safe?”

  “I am, but you’re not,” he said. “It was a trap, me coming to London. The Lads know where you are and are on their way there now.”

  Livie felt a moment of panic and quickly scanned the room before glancing out the dark window. Could the man be out there now? “What should I do?”

  “Stay inside and tell Mrs. Brooks to get my men to lock the house down like a fortress. I’m on my way there now; we’re just at Kings Cross station waiting for the train to be loaded with coal and then we shouldn’t be too far behind.”

  “Very well,” Livie replied. “I’ll do so right away.”

  “Livie, I… Damn it, I’m sorry about earlier.” The line began to crackle loudly. “Be safe, all right?”

  And then the line went dead.

  She stared at the telephone handle for several seconds before replacing it onto its cradle. Confusion was rolling around inside her like a whirlwind. Sebastian had just apologized. What did that mean, if anything?

  The sad fact was that even if he did care for her, even only a little bit, her aunt was right, there was nothing that could come from their feelings. Not that Sebastian ever would admit to loving her. He’d made that abundantly clear.

  Her being with him beyond the night they’d spent together was nothing but a pipe dream. What they had shared could never again be. But all the same, Livie would hold it close to her heart in the years to come. At least she had that.

  The door to the study swung open and Livie glanced up, expecting to see a familiar face. And, though it was familiar, it wasn’t the face she’d been expecting. It was Seb’s young office clerk standing in the doorway.

  “Clint, isn’t it?” Livie asked. “I didn’t know you were here.”

  “I’ve just arrived a short time ago,” the man confirmed. “I’m on a special errand.”

  “Well, that was your employer on the phone.” She began to walk around the desk to him. “Apparently, the Lads have found out where we are and are even now on their way here. We must let the others know.”

  Clint smiled, slowly and surely. “No need to do that, my lady.” He pulled out a pistol from his jacket pocket and pointed it straight at her.

  Livie stopped in her tracks. “What are you doing?”

  “Providing you with an incentive to come with me silently.” He smiled at her.

  “I don’t understand? Why are you doing this?”

  “Don’t you recognize me from the warehouse?” There was disappointment in his voice. “Although most of my face was covered in shadow, wasn’t it? But still, I thought we shared a special moment of understanding, you and I.”

  A sinking feeling pooled in the pit of her stomach. “You are the leader of the Lads, the one they call Orestes?”

  “I am indeed.” He bowed to her. “You have no idea how wonderful it actually is to reveal my true identity to you.”

  “I don’t understand. You’ve been pretending to be Sebastian’s clerk for over a year?”

  “It wasn’t really pretending, as I had to do the menial work of a clerk. But it was a necessary evil. Otherwise, how else could I get close enough to him to learn the inner workings of his operations?”

  “For what purpose? To take over his territory?”

  “Nothing so trivial as that,” he assured her. “My plan is far grander and far more noble. I am after vengeance, you see. We are alike, you and I, in that regard. Both seeking vengeance for the death of our loved one. Although in my case he didn’t actually die, but he might as well have.”

  “Who are you?” she asked him. She knew Seb had many enemies, but this man’s grudge was obviously extremely personal. “Is Clint even your real name?”

  “Oh yes, Clint Kofsson is indeed my name. Well, in a manner of speaking.” There was such eager excitement on his face that it made the madness in his eyes more terrifying. “I wanted to keep my father’s name, I truly did, but I couldn’t, because Sebastian would have recognized it too readily and known exactly what I was about. Which obviously would have ruined all my plans, so instead I had to rearrange it. It’s an anagram, you see!”

  “An anagram?” Perhaps if she could keep him talking, she could raise the alarm, or get close enough to him to d
isarm him with her cane.

  “Yes! If you rearrange Clint Kofsson, it spells Flintock’s son.” He laughed. “Brilliant, isn’t it?”

  “Flintock? As in Edward Flintock?” The man who raped and killed Sebastian’s mother. Bile rose in her throat when she saw the man nod in affirmation. Edward Flintock’s son was standing before her, with revenge in his heart.

  “Yes. My father was the man Sebastian Colver maimed and destroyed.” He sighed, a long, drawn-out sound. “It’s rather bittersweet that all these years of planning my revenge are about to come to an end. Don’t get me wrong.” He paused, almost as if he were trying to reassure her. “It’s a very exciting time for me, but I’m still a tad sad that it’s nearly over. But it is the eleven-year anniversary today of when Sebastian Colver ruined my life, so it’s only fitting to repay him the favor. But do not fret, for I have lots planned for us tonight at the hunting lodge. You shall enjoy it greatly.” He paused and peered at her and then laughed. “Actually, maybe you won’t, but I certainly will.”

  “The hunting lodge?”

  “Yes, it’s time to meet your destiny. Time for you to be punished for your sins of consorting with the devil. And time to send the devil back to where he came from.”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  “What the hell do you mean, she’s disappeared?” Seb roared to all of his assembled men in the entrance hall of his residence. It was nearly an hour and a half since he’d spoken to her, and apparently no one had seen her since. Seb felt the most enormous weight on his chest, and his body clenched in equal parts of fury and frustration, and an ample dose of fear.

  It was like déjà vu, and he had to resist grabbing someone’s head and pounding it into the wall. “Answer me!” he bellowed to what seemed like the whole house, all of whom had gathered in the entrance hall upon his arrival.

  “No one has seen her since she went to take a telephone call,” Livie’s aunt said from the staircase. The woman was dressed in a black velvet dressing gown, and for once her haughtiness was replaced by worry.

  “And that didn’t concern any of you?” Seb couldn’t control the anger from leaching out of his voice. All his men appeared shocked to see him lose control, but he didn’t care. Livie was gone, and he feared he was going to be too late. Far too late.

  “Everyone assumed she must have gone to bed after taking your call,” the duchess continued. “It’s no secret you upset her greatly before you left this morning, so we all just assumed you’d argued again with her on the phone tonight, and the poor girl needed some rest and took to her bed.”

  “We didn’t argue on the phone,” Seb said through gritted teeth. “When did you notice she was gone?”

  “I went to check on her about an hour ago.” The woman’s voice was imperious, but her hand was gripping the balustrade tightly, and Seb could see how concerned she actually was for Livie. “When she was nowhere to be found, I raised the alarm, and your men have been looking for her since.”

  “She’s been taken, hasn’t she?” Charlotte stepped forward, an expression of distress in her gray eyes.

  “Perhaps.” Seb’s voice was rough, the very thought of Livie in danger tightening his throat like a vise. “We need to find her and quickly. Did any of you see anything strange or anyone you shouldn’t?” His eyes glanced around at the faces of his men, who all looked tense. “Tell me now if you fell asleep or weren’t at your post, because trust me, if you don’t and I find out, then you will not like my reaction.”

  One of his men, Tom, stepped forward, holding his bowler hat in his hands and fiddling with it nervously. “I, um, I gotta confess I wasn’t at me post, boss, but only for the shortest time. Ya see, I was ’ungry and I ducked into the kitchens just for a bit. Just to get somefing to eat, ya know?”

  Seb took in a deep breath. At least the man was telling him the truth. “Did you see anything?”

  Tom shook his head. “Nah, not really. While I was in the larder I ’eard a noise and ducked me ’ead out and I saw your clerk going past. He didn’t see me none, ’cause I was in the dark and well, no one else was around, and I wasn’t s’ppose to be there… But apart from him I didn’t see no one nor nothin else.”

  “You saw Clint? Here?” Seb blinked. “As in my office clerk?”

  Tom nodded. “Aye. I thought you musta sent him here with a message for Lady Olivia or somefing. Didn’t ya?”

  Every part of Sebastian braced at the betrayal. “No. I did not.”

  “Fuck!” Rowan swore.

  “He’s the bloody traitor,” Lance declared.

  Seb looked at them both. “He must be a Lad. I always took his high collars to mean the boy was trying to be fashionable.”

  “Instead it was covering his snake tattoo,” Rowan added. “Fuck me.”

  “Oh…I ’ad no idea, boss.” Tom looked ill. “I’d ’ave stopped him if I’d known. I must say I thought that purple snake on his neck wasn’t right.”

  “A purple snake? You’re certain?” Seb eyed the man.

  “Hundred percent, boss.” Tom nodded.

  “He’s not just a Lad, he’s their goddamn leader.” Seb turned to Lance and Rowan. “He’s taken Olivia to enact his revenge for God knows what he thinks I’ve done to him.”

  “Fuck, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault,” Lance said, dragging a hand through his already ragged hair. “I was the one who vouched for him. I thought he’d make a good addition to the gang.”

  Seb pressed his lips together. “He fooled me, too.”

  “He fooled us all,” Rowan added. “But where would he go? Maybe some lodgings in the village?”

  “Who knows? He could have taken her anywhere by now,” Lance replied.

  “No. He’s close.” Seb shook his head. “Somewhere on the estate, I’m thinking. If he’s out for revenge, he’ll want to enact it on the lands I own.”

  “Clint must be on foot, and he’ll have his three men with him,” Rowan guessed. “All the horses are accounted for, and someone would have heard them galloping off, if he’d brought any with him. So, staying on your estate somewhere makes sense. But surely they’d know we’d look for them.”

  “They’ll be lying in wait to ambush us.” There were several options they could have taken, but Seb felt in his bones that they were close. “We’ll need to split up and search the grounds in quadrants, expecting to be ambushed. Understood?”

  Both men nodded.

  “Good. Rowan, you take two men and search the northern edge of the estate. There’s an abandoned ruin there they could be hiding in,” Seb said to Rowan, who inclined his head in acknowledgment.

  “You men with me,” Rowan yelled to two men beside him before turning back to address Seb. “He wants her alive, Seb. Otherwise, she’d be dead here. Remember that.” Then he turned and strode from the door with his men in tow.

  “You three.” Seb turned to his right and singled out some of his men standing there. “Take the southern part of the estate and search it from top to bottom.” The three men nodded. Seb then swung his gaze over to Lance. “Lance, you take two men and check the eastern end. There are some abandoned cottages there he might have taken her to.”

  Lance nodded. “I will. Which leaves the hunting lodge in the northern section. You’ll be searching that one?”

  “Yes,” Seb replied. “Crandell and Curtis, you’re with me.” He directed the last two men to his left. “The building hasn’t been used in a decade, but if I were Clint that’s where I’d take her.”

  “Then why don’t we all go there, Seb?” Lance suggested with urgency. “Then you’ll have the numbers to meet an ambush head-on.”

  “I can’t risk being wrong.” Seb shook his head. “And if I am, then the cottages would be the next most logical place. I need someone I can trust checking there, in case that’s where he’s holed up. And if she is there, you save her, Lance. I was only just stron
g enough to survive my mother’s death. I know I won’t be strong enough to survive Livie’s.”

  Lance exhaled sharply. “You are my family, Sebastian. I will give my life for her if I have to, for you.”

  “Don’t let it come to that.” Sebastian placed a hand on his shoulder. “And you are right, we might not share the same blood, but we are family. You are my brother in my heart, and I need you to survive, too.”

  “I feel the same,” Lance said, his throat slightly hoarse. They both quickly cleared their throats and looked away. Neither were good at expressing their emotions, and that was probably the most emotion they’d shown each other, ever.

  Lance strode over to his men and gave them some instructions before turning back to Seb. “I’ll check the cottages, and if they’re empty, we’ll head straight for the hunting lodge. We will find her, my friend. We will.” Then he, too, strode out the entrance, his two men following behind.

  “Mrs. Brooks?” Seb’s eyes fixed onto the housekeeper. “Lock this house up solid. No one is to come in or out unless I am with them. Do you understand?”

  “Yes sir.” The lady nodded and hurried off to carry out his instructions.

  Charlotte ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his chest. “I’m so scared for her, Sebastian. You will save her, won’t you?”

  He briefly hugged his sister back and returned her to her feet. All he could do was nod his head, his throat suddenly tight with the thought that Livie was in danger. And the man threatening her was someone he had been betrayed by. Clint, that goddamn son of a bitch, was going to pay for such a betrayal.

  The Dragon Duchess strode over to him, her wrinkled hands reaching out and gripping his like a vise. “You will save my goddaughter, Sebastian Colver. Do you understand me? You will bring our Livie home to us, alive and safe.”

  “I will,” he managed to grind out.

  “And when you do find her,” the duchess said, her voice filled with steel, “you will punish the man who dared to take her, do you hear me? You punish him and then you make certain that the bastards can never hurt her ever again. Live up to your reputation and do whatever you need to, to make that happen.”