She could have simply suggested they run, go their separate ways, but she didn’t wish to separate. She likely would if she knew what he’d done in his life, but then again, she was mad. If in her right mind, she wouldn’t have suggested it in the first place.
“And what if I were a doctor?” he asked. “What would you say then?”
“That day is night and people walk on their noses and I feel as though I’m falling…” She smiled. “Falling up into the stars to swim in the sea.” She had dimples at the corner of her lips, enhancing her face from interesting to intriguing.
She was definitely mad. “You can’t fall up.”
“Really?” she asked. “Because that is what this moment feels like. Falling, yet floating without worry or pain.”
He bent his head to her. “Are you on an opiate?”
She laughed and Nick was surprised the frost didn’t melt at the sound of it. It was the balmiest sound he’d heard in a long time. Sensual and comforting. “I’ve not taken anything today. I’ve been very good today.”
This was her being ‘good’? Why was he tempted to ask her what she was like when she was bad?
Perhaps it was her eyes. Nick had always been partial to a fine brandy. He could feel his mind slipping, as though he’d taken a sip just from being in her presence.
He had to remember that he’d also always been partial to crazy.
Recalling his past, he began to harden himself against her. He was here to do a job. He had to keep that in mind.
Lady Elisa’s own expression became guarded. “Do you work for Lord Alguire?”
“No, who is he?” Perhaps, if he knew more details, he could figure out a way to complete this task as swiftly as possible. So far, she seemed stable enough. He was ready to leave.
She frowned and looked past him before returning her gaze to him. “Are you another doctor? Have you come to... examine me?” He wondered if any hard treatments had been done to her during her time here. The need to get her out grew.
He was not a doctor, but Nick was examining her far more than he should be. “I’m not a doctor.”
“Who are you?” she asked.
No more word games. “Lord Nicholas Childs. I’m here on your brother Lord Goldstone’s behalf. He said you were in need of help.”
Her eyes had flashed at the mention of her brother’s name. “Have you come to take me from here before the ceremony?”
“What ceremony?” It frustrated him that he had no idea what was going on.
She stepped close and placed her hand on his chest before lowering her voice. “Are we leaving?” She grinned.
“Yes, we are.” He sensed Dr. Hobbs would get in the way.
“You’re an angel,” she pronounced.
Nick smiled but fought it back down before it became a permanent fixture with her. He’d been called an angel before. This should not feel new to him, but it did.
If Nick were being truthful with himself, he’d admit to the excitement he was feeling and how very unexciting his life had been for the last few years. Since leaving Lord Gregory’s service and Maria’s death, he’d been living as a monk.
He clung to the idea of being a regular gentleman, which was something his father hadn’t given him or his brothers the opportunity to become. He’d abstained from most pleasures and worked to find happiness in his role as Cassius’ man of business.
Yet since Cass became duke, things had started to change, and that old anxiousness was lifting to the surface. If he were to keep his head, he’d have to distance himself from Elisa’s allure.
“I’ll be ready,” she said. “At any hour, day or night. I’ll be ready.” She bounced in place once. Gladness brightened her features. “Thank you, Lord Nicholas. I don’t know what I would have done had you not come for me.”
Something touched his heart and spread. Her gratitude was profoundly moving. She was desperate. He knew that look, had seen it more times than he liked.
Cassius’ words came back to him. This was a chance to redeem his past failings. Perhaps, getting this woman to her fiancé in a few months would finally shake loose the shadows of the past that clung to him.
He hadn’t known they were there until a moment ago. Winter brought death, yet Nick felt himself awakening. Hope glittered in her eyes like shiny brass chandeliers.
Thankfully, she was betrothed. It would keep his mind from venturing in directions it shouldn’t.
“Tell me about the ceremony,” he said. “I’m sorry, but your brother has not shared much of the details .”
“I’ll tell you on the way.” She turned away then and went toward another door that led to the small apartments.
Nick watched her retreat. “On the way where?”
“I’ll tell you on the way,” she promised. “Please, hurry. We don’t have much time.” She disappeared into the building.
He wanted to tell her that they were not bound for wherever she thought they were going. He was taking her to his property and leaving her there under guard. He’d return once the Season was ready to begin.
The less he knew about her actual mind, the better.
∫ ∫ ∫
0 4
* * *
The moment Elisa stepped into her room, Kate asked, “What did you and the gentleman discuss?”
She was rather bold for a maid. Elisa could never recall her old lady’s maid speaking to her as much or as often as Kate did.
But Elisa had encouraged it, she supposed. It had been years since she’d had another woman to talk to. She’d clung to Kate in the last few weeks, but she didn’t trust the woman. Kate had been hired by Alguire. She would likely report anything Elisa said.
Elisa had discovered this to be likely when Kate had mentioned Gloria a few days ago. It meant she’d read Elisa’s note since Elisa had never mentioned what the soldier had told her.
Since then, Kate had been watching her closely and questioning Elisa’s every move.
Why had she told Kate about the sweet shop? She had to get there before Alguire did.
Elisa had to push down the impulse to act mad in order to drive Kate away. The man, her way out of Bedlam, was in the other room, and she couldn’t allow him to think worse of her than he already did.
“I’m tired, Kate. I think I’ll rest.” And pack.
And think about the wonder that was Lord Nicholas Childs. It had been many years since Elisa had seen such a beautiful man. She’d have liked to say her confinement heightened his appeal, but that wasn’t true.
Elisa recalled the beauty of court, the men she’d danced with, the kisses in the garden she’d taken from more than one gentleman. The lords of Society could be very handsome, but Nicholas was something else.
Had he been a patient or doctor, that would not have changed. That he was here to get her out only made her heart flutter more.
She stared out to the garden. He was gone.
“Good looking man, wasn’t he?” Kate asked. “Tall and gorgeous. Those blue eyes could make a girl forget herself.”
Elisa jumped. She hadn’t known the woman was still there. Were the words a warning? Was Elisa supposed to be remembering herself? “His features are very becoming.” To say otherwise would have been a lie.
“Did he say why he was here?” Kate asked, the question similar to the one she’d already asked. “Is he interested in you?” She folded a dress that had already been folded.
“No,” Elisa quickly said. “He came to… deliver his sympathies for my uncle’s death. He knew Uncle Beau.”
“Ah.” Kate nodded and placed the garment into Elisa’s trunk. “Well, I’ll leave you to rest.” She left and Elisa took a breath.
Often, when she was alone, she spoke to herself. She did so now, telling herself it would all work out.
* * *
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Dr. Hobbs said as Nick entered the warmth of the front room once more.
“I’ll make it worth the trouble.” Seeing to it immediat
ely, he placed some coins on the table.
Greed flashed in the doctor’s eyes, but he didn’t reach for the coins.
“What details can you give me about Lady Elisa?” Nick asked. Her parting words troubled him.
“I can’t give you any.”
“Would you give the details to a man who came at the word of the Duke of Van Dero?”
Dr. Hobb’s mouth opened. His lower lip hung before he shut it and swallowed. Then he cleared his throat again. “The Duke of Van Dero sent you to speak to her?”
“He and Lady Seyes’ brother sent me to take her.”
Dr. Hobbs turned away. “I’m afraid that would be impossible.”
Nick trailed the doctor’s moves as he moved to the writing table. “Why is that?”
“Lady Elisa is ill. Besides, someone already waits to take her once I deem her well enough to leave.” Dr. Hobbs picked up a paper and brought it over to Nick. “It’s a letter from Reddington. You can tell Lord Goldstone. Lady Elisa has been given into my care until I say she’s fit to leave, and she is not fit to leave.”
Nick doubted she’d ever be ‘fit’ to leave and honestly, he hadn’t wanted to take her until a moment ago, but that wasn’t the point. “How much will it cost for you to say she’s fit today?”
Dr. Hobbs shook his head. “As I said, there is another who plans to take her. The necessary arrangements have already been made. Her procurer waits in town for her, has been for the last week. This… person is very anxious to have her.”
Nick could read between the lines of Dr. Hobb’s words. “Whatever he’s paid, I’d be willing to match or even double depending on the number.” The funds would come from Van Dero.
A door opened and the maid who had been walking with Elisa came in with tea.
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Hobbs said. “Please, tell the duke I mean no trouble, but my hands are tied.” His expression showed worry. He glanced at the maid and then at Nick. “There is nothing more I can say. Please go.”
The maid pulled a bell. “Shall I wait for the tray?” she asked Dr. Hobbs.
Dr. Hobbs blinked. “No, Kate. Take the tray.”
The exchange was odd, but Kate did take the tray and then discreetly left the room. Nick didn’t bother reaching for tea and neither did Dr. Hobbs.
Nick narrowed his gaze. He still had very few details about the matter surrounding Elisa. “Who is trying to take her?”
“I cannot say.” Dr. Hobbs stood at a knock on the outer door. He opened it and two rather large men came in. “These men are here to see you to your carriage.” When had he summoned guards?
There was a shout in the other room. Elisa. “What’s going on?” Nick asked.
Dr. Hobbs sighed. “The woman is clearly troubled. You have rattled her. You must go.”
“No!” Elisa shouted in the other room.
Nick stood. “You should go see her. There could be something wrong.”
“I will, once you are gone,” the doctor said.
Nick distinctly heard another door open in the apartment and assumed it to be Elisa’s.
“Nicholas!” Elisa cried. His name rang through the wall.
Her voice propelled him to his feet. Her fear strangled his humanity from him and called to a beast Nick hadn’t released in many years. He cursed as the guards moved toward him. “I’m trying very hard to be a proper gentleman,” he warned just as the first one reached him.
Unprepared, the man didn’t flinch as Nick lifted his hand. His shot was open. He struck quick and hard at the man’s jaw.
The man crumbled to the ground like a brick wall.
Dr. Hobbs gasped. The second guard was startled but more prepared. His hands went up as Nick struck him with one blow after another. Stomach, chest, arm, arm. Eventually, the man opened to strike back, and Nick took his chance.
Moving with the speed of a serpent, he cut his hand into the man’s throat, hitting him on the side of his Adam’s apple. He joined his friend on the ground just as Dr. Hobbs shouted for more men and ran.
Nick didn’t follow. Instead, he moved to the door he thought belonged to Elisa. The knob was locked. A swift kick had him stepping into a room that was about the same chilly temperature as the outdoors.
And that was because the door that led out was open wide.
Elisa and her maid were gone. The room was still except for the wind that ruffled the curtains and wrapped itself around Nick’s pulsing form.
For reasons he couldn’t understand, the heat of the fight sharpened his mind and his vision. The blood that ran through his body called for more. Like fresh buns from the oven, it was hot and begged to be consumed, to be used to bend men to his will.
Nick licked his lips. He could taste the excitement.
He went back for his coat and in the distance, he heard a bell toll. More guards would be on the way.
Returning to Elisa’s room, he followed the frozen tracks that said they’d not been alone.
He moved swiftly around the building and through the trees that lined the property. In front of the building, he saw her being pushed into a carriage.
She fought like the madwoman she was. Her hood had come off. The wind billowed her locks, and they danced like a tempting flame in the dull gray morning.
“No!” she screamed. Then those brandy eyes found his. “Nicholas!” She was shoved again and was gone.
The driver whipped the horses, and the large vehicle launched away.
Nick ran for the carriage as it began to gain speed.
∫ ∫ ∫
0 5
* * *
“Elisa, oh, how I’ve missed your fire,” Alguire laughed.
Fear made her erratic. She struck out at Alguire’s face, but he caught her hand. Then he dragged her forward.
His black eyes grew with heat. “I’m going to want that fire in our marriage bed.” He gripped her hair and yanked her head back.
Elisa cried out in pain. Tears burned her eyes.
She felt Kate shift away, but the woman said nothing. What could she do? Being a servant of a marquess, it was her place to remain mute, deaf, and blind to anything and everything that went on around her.
Alguire leaned closer. “I heard they’d cut your hair. I look forward to it growing back. That prison has made you a wild thing, hasn’t it? You’re barely a lady anymore. Promise me you won’t change.” He laughed in her face.
Elisa stopped crying and slowly pulled herself into the quiet parts of her mind. She retreated there whenever the pain from her treatments had grown too much.
“Oh, don’t grow quiet on me now,” Alguire whispered. “You could do nothing but talk the last time I saw you, going on and about how I killed Lady Sarah Saxon. Surely, by now, they’ve convinced you that what you think is true is wrong.”
Elisa didn’t know what to do or say. His fingers were still tangled in her hair and kept her anchored on his lap. She realized how foolish she’d been to think she could escape him, how fool-hearted she’d been to think a man like Nicholas Childs could save her.
A beautiful gentleman like Nicholas could never compete against a monster like Alguire.
When they’d been younger, James had often pulled her hair. Once, he’d done it hard enough to make her weep. She’d begun wearing it up after that, never a curl loose when he was around.
“I’ve waited so long for you.” He lowered his nose to her throat and inhaled deeply. “You’re wearing the scent I bought you. Do you like it?” He pulled away, and Elisa tried to balance her hands on the bench to lessen the pain, but the jarring carriage made it impossible.
Finally, he let her go and she fell back to her own bench.
“Be a good wife, and I’ll be good to you, Elisa,” he said. ”Do you like the scent?”
Again, she was unsure of what to say. Madness didn’t seem to frighten Alguire away. She wasn’t sure why she’d thought it would. In the last five years, he’d made no move to break their engagement even while she resided in Bedlam.
She’d been certain that he would move on, but it appeared her absence had only made him obsessed. “Yes,” she whispered shakily. Her head was still in pain. Tears she could not stop continued to run down her cheeks.
She hated him. The violence he demonstrated was nothing she hadn’t witnessed. Alguire had always been a brute, overpowering the weak in order to get his way. He’d called out more than one lord in the past and always when she pointed it out to her father, he’d explain it away.
“Alguire is a gentleman,” her father had said. “But he is still a man.” She never understood what that meant. Lord Reddington had been very close to his friends, the Duke of Ayers and the Marquess of Alguire.
Elisa had grown up knowing Lord James Scott. She’d been glad when he’d become engaged to someone else, always fearing that it would be she who married him.
But then one night… the memory was hard to recall. Everyone had told Elisa that what she’d seen had all been imagined.
She’d seen him kill his fiancée Sarah Saxon. She’d been certain of it. One minute, the woman had been alive and the next, her body had been submerged slightly in the pond by their home.
But James’ devastation afterward had given Elisa pause. He’d put on such a good show of mourning that Elisa had wondered if she’d truly seen what she’d thought she’d seen? It was only after her father had pronounced her as his new fiancée that she knew he’d done it, yet by then, months had passed since Sarah’s death.
No one believed Elisa. They’d told her she was only anxious about the marriage, but when she’d become erratic and begun to plead for her life, they’d sent her to live with her uncle in Bedlam. She was not a registered patient, but everyone close to her father was suspicious.
If only James had moved on. If only the Marquess of Alguire had let her go.
But he wouldn’t. She knew that now.
“And the clothes,” Alguire went on. “You look lovely in your clothes. Do you like them?”
“Yes,” she said listlessly. She would not survive this marriage. It was a death sentence even if he didn’t kill her the way he’d killed Sarah.
A Knight of Vengeance: (The Valiant Love Regency Romance) (A Historical Romance Book) Page 3
