He was silent for a few awkward moments, and although he said nothing, his expression spoke volumes. Malice pierced his narrowed gaze, and his handsome face was marred with lines of anger. Indeed, her brother-in-law had definitely done something dreadful when he upset Grey.
“What if I told you,” he began slowly, “that I believe Martin to be involved with the deaths of two men, and he was the reason a third man nearly died, as well.”
She gasped loudly. “Martin murdered someone?”
“Two men for certain, and injured a third with intent to kill.”
“Surely, you jest.”
He shook his head. “I’m not jesting. I’d stake my life on it, in fact. All I need is proof now.”
“Oh, my...” She placed her hand against her bosom, feeling the erratic rhythm of her heartbeat.
Her mind moved back in time to right after Joanna had married Martin. Although Alexandria didn’t want to converse with the man, there were many times she heard him barking at the servants for doing something wrong. One particular time he had a visitor and as she sat in the small library, she could hear him and this other man arguing loudly. Parts of the threat he’d thrown at the visitor, made her blush because of his vulgar language. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the other man. There were also a few times she’d overheard her sister and Martin arguing. Apparently, he was most disagreeable with several people. With a temper like Martin’s, it was very possible that he had a mean streak in him...one that could harm others—enough to kill.
Worry whirled through her mind of all the possible things he could do to her as well as Joanna, but then her mind switched and took a different path. Hope bubbled inside of her. If her brother-in-law was put in the gaol for his crimes, he wouldn’t be able to marry her off to a man she didn’t love. She and her sister would return to their country home instead of living in such a large house and in charge of so many servants. She and Joanna could get back to the simple life they’d both loved before the earl ruined everything. “What do you think will happen to Martin if he is caught?”
“I’m quite certain he’ll hang for his crimes.”
Dare she believe? Dare she hope he was the man Grey thought him to be so that her brother-in-law wouldn’t be able to control her life any longer? But therein lay the problem. Could she trust her captor enough that he would obtain his goal and get Martin out of her life?
FIVE
Julian studied the lovely woman still standing near the hearth. Was she the countess or was she really the younger sister? He scratched his chin. The countess would be a few years older—or at least looked like she was a few years older. This particular woman appeared young, perhaps early in her twentieth year. Martin’s wife would be in her mid to late twenties.
Although this woman was very stunning, she wasn’t the flashy beauty he’d heard about from Dominic. The marquess talked about Martin’s wife as if she were a woman most men lost their head over and stumbled over their feet just to look at. Dominic had told Julian that most men went out of their way to give her trinkets just to hear one kind word from her. As Julian studied the woman he kidnapped, she didn’t quite measure up to Dominic’s description. However, this sister was indeed lovely, but naturally so.
Now, in her hesitation, there was a certain gleam in her eyes as if excitement built inside of her. A few things confused him. Would the true countess really show as much excitement in her gaze to want her husband hanged? Probably not. But this woman appeared as if she did—and that she couldn’t wait for him to be out of her life.
“So tell me,” Julian said in a rush before she could get another word out, “if you are indeed the younger sister, why have you not married? If your sister is the countess, I’m quite sure many suitors have sought your hand in marriage.”
Her face flamed a brilliant red, and again, she dropped her gaze to the floor. “I...I haven’t married because...” She paused, seeming unwilling to reveal her reasons. Finally, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and lifted her eyes to his. “Grey, I’m what men like yourself consider to be a wallflower. I am shy around men, and I have difficulty conversing. My sister has always been the center of attention, not I.” She cleared her throat. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t marry at all, but unfortunately, my brother-in-law thinks I need assistance in this matter.”
Julian cocked his head. This was the second time she’d mentioned her brother-in-law in this respect with irritation coating her voice. Was Martin truly trying to marry off the younger sister? Then again, if roles were reversed and Julian had a sister-in-law living with him and his new bride, he’d want to get her married off, as well.
“Is there anything else you wish to know so I can convince you that I’m not the Countess of Linden?” she asked timidly.
He tapped his finger on his chin. Should he believe her? A part of him felt he shouldn’t, yet the police inspector inside of him really didn’t think the countess would behave this way. This particular woman was definitely not acting the part. “So you are Miss Alexandria Templeton?”
She exhaled a loud sigh. “I am, yes.”
“Miss Templeton, do you think you know your brother-in-law well enough to help me?”
One of her slender shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I can try, but whatever you do, promise me you will not kidnap my sister and bother her about this matter. As I’d mentioned before, she is very ill and I don’t want you making it worse on her. If you don’t believe me, then return me to the estate and I’ll try to sneak you inside to her bedchamber and you can see for yourself.”
Brave woman. She’d really risk having her brother-in-law catch her? Of course, Julian would find another way, because he couldn’t risk being noticed at the estate just yet. It was too soon to let Martin know the real earl was still alive.
“Perhaps later,” he said with a nod. He moved to the couch and sat, crossing one leg over the other. “So Miss Templeton, what can you tell me about Martin that I might find distasteful?”
Her sapphire eyes widened and she blinked. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly, resembling a smile. “That you might find distasteful? How would I possibly know that, Sir?”
“Point taken.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Instead, why don’t you tell me what things you don’t like about him.”
Her attention moved to the other end of the couch. Uncertainty flitted across her eyes as she switched her focus from Julian to the other side. He motioned with his hand for her to sit. She fidgeted a few moments more before moving to the end and perching on the edge of the cushion. The couch might be dusty and worn, but it wasn’t going to bite her!
She folded her hands in her lap. Her gaze darted around the room, but only landed on him a few times before continuing to wander. Strange, but she didn’t like looking at him for very long. Why was that? She’d mentioned that she was a wallflower, and he supposed she did show signs of being extremely shy.
“To be honest, I don’t know Lord Linden that well at all,” she began.
“Actually,” Julian quickly cut her off, “will you refer to him as Martin? In my opinion, he doesn’t deserve the title of an earl.”
She nodded. “As I was saying, Martin courted my sister a month before asking for her hand in marriage. During that courtship, I’d only met him three times when he came to our house for supper. Like all men, he only had eyes for Joanna, and so I wasn’t able to engage him in conversation for any length of time.” She chuckled lightly. “Then again, I wouldn’t have done it, anyway, since I have a hard time talking to men.”
“What about after your sister married him and you moved into the estate?”
“The one thing I noticed during those first few weeks was that he rarely stayed home. I found it odd that he didn’t want to spend more time with my sister, especially since they were barely wed.”
“Did he have an excuse for being away so much?” Julian narrowed his gaze on her, really studying her reactions and the way she answered his questions. So f
ar she appeared sincere in trying to help him.
“All Joanna said was that he had to get his affairs in order because of his newly appointed status. Joanna assured me their life would get back to normal soon.”
Julian rolled his eyes. He would bet that some of Martin’s affairs had to do with women and his gambling debts instead of business. “Can you remember if anyone dropped by to see him? And if so, did he appear as if he was embarrassed about them being there?”
She frowned and shook her head. “I’m not certain what you mean.”
He licked his dry lips. “I’m thinking about ruffians, or similar. Men who were lower class who Martin might have been embarrassed talking to in public.”
“No, not really. Most of the people who came to visit were associates of Martin, and he didn’t appear to be embarrassed by them at all. He introduced his wife to them without hesitation.”
“But not you?”
She shook her head. “I was either in my room writing, or I was on my horse, Buttercup, getting to know the land.”
“Hmm...I see.” He tapped his chin again. “Perhaps Martin met with those particular people in secret, as not to draw attention to his misdeeds.”
“Perhaps.”
Her gaze shifted to the wall as her expression changed. Strange, but he could actually tell the wheels in her mind were turning, and she was on the verge of remembering something.
“You know, I do recall a time when I had gone to the stable to ride Buttercup, and I saw Martin with two men behind the barn. The way they stood huddled close, their voices low, their gazes constantly shifting, gave me the impression they were discussing or planning something that they didn’t wish others to discover. I recall thinking at the time how different these two men were compared to Martin’s other associates. He gave them money, as well. I’d assumed they were new servants, but then I never saw those men again.”
Excitement shot through Julian. This could be something important. He dropped his leg to the floor and scooted on the couch closer to her, leaning toward her. “Do you think you would recognize these men if you saw them again?”
Her eyes widened as her gaze slid over his face and rested on his chest. Her cheeks flushed with a deep red color. She placed the back of her hand against her flushed check and quickly glanced up at him again.
“Most definitely. You see, although I had just noticed them that one time, I used their descriptions in the story I was writing at the time.”
Surprise washed over him and he arched an eyebrow. “You were writing a story?”
“Yes,” she muttered and glanced down at her folded hands.
He wished she’d stop looking away. Reaching over, he touched her chin and immediately, her gaze jumped up to his face. “Miss Templeton, there is no reason to be embarrassed. Writing stories is a wonderful talent to have.”
Her mouth stretched into a shaky smile. “Thank you.”
“Have you had any of your work published?”
She shook her head. “Of course not. Nobody would take a woman seriously, anyway.”
“Maybe...maybe not. You would have to know someone with connections.” He grinned. “Anyway, back to these men. What did they look like?”
She took a shaky breath and released it slowly. “They appeared to be in their early thirties, and both of them had slender frames. The clothes they wore were of the lower class. The taller one out of the two had bright auburn hair—almost like a burnt orange. He had a scar on his cheek that was an inch long. It didn’t appear to be fresh, though.” She paused, but just for a moment. “And the second man was very blond, as if the sun had colored his hair. That man walked with a limp—worse than yours.”
She noticed my limp? Immediately, his hand moved to his aching leg. He’d tried his hardest not to limp and show the pain he was experiencing. He hadn’t realized how astute she was until now. She was also descriptive, and he could picture these men from just her words.
“This information is very helpful.” Julian knew for certain he and Dominic would find the evidence they needed to catch these buggers now.
“I hope you will be able to locate them,” she said sweetly. “As I’d mentioned earlier, I only saw them that one day.”
“I’m confident I’ll find them. When I’m determined to do something, there’s nothing that will stop me.”
“Splendid.”
Miss Templeton smiled, but it still wasn’t a full smile. Actually, he wouldn’t mind seeing a genuine smile on her face. It would certainly light her eyes, making them more beautiful. Then he remembered he was her captor. Because he’d made the mistake of stealing the wrong sister—and then threatening her when she held a knife to him—he needed to figure out a way to make her feel that he was no threat to her any longer. In fact, from this point forward, he would think of her as someone who could assist him in his plight for justice. He would have to charm her. That was the only way to soften her heart so that she could assist him.
“Tell me, Miss Templeton, has Martin ever threatened you or treated you unkindly?”
She frowned. “How do you mean?”
“Has he ever struck you or acted as if he was about to?”
“Oh, Heavens no! I haven’t ever seen him act that way with Joanna, either.”
“Does he talk unkindly to you? Yell or snap at you for doing something wrong?”
Her stare wandered away again as she scratched her cheek. Slowly, sadness etched in her expression, and surprisingly, his gut twisted. Anger shot through him, knowing his cousin had indeed, treated this woman unkindly. Immediately, Julian felt the need to give his cousin a good shaking and reprimand Martin for his rude treatment.
When it finally struck him how protective he was being toward Miss Templeton, he mentally shook off the feeling. He had no right to experience this with her at all.
“Actually, yes,” she said softly. “We don’t converse much, but when he talks to me, he’s not polite. He makes me feel like an imbecile and that I don’t have a brain...or at least that I don’t know how to use it. I realize now that I’m just a thorn in his foot, but I have never understood why he was this way around me.” She released a deep sigh. “Perhaps he is correct in assuming I’m worthless because I’m a wallflower and I don’t enjoy mingling.”
Once again, anger pierced him, hotter than he’d expected. If Martin had been standing in front of him now, he’d throttle the imp within an inch of his life. Then Martin would know what worthless felt like.
“Miss Templeton, you cannot be more wrong.” He scooted closer until his leg brushed against her gown. Gently, he took her hands in his. Her eyes widened and her body stiffened, but that didn’t make him pull away. He needed to get his point across, and sitting close to her on the couch was the only way he knew how to do it. “You are a lovely and intelligent woman. From what I’ve noticed, you are extremely level-headed, as well. I have never known anyone like you.”
She shook her head to deny him. “No, I’m nothing like you have described.”
“Indeed, you are, my blossom. Here you are, a woman who has been wrongly kidnapped, and yet so far, you have pointed out my mistakes, dared to threaten me with a knife, and then you have softened your heart and offered to help me with my goal. How many women do you know who would have been so brave in a situation like this?”
“Brave, sir?”
He grinned. “Very brave, Miss Templeton.” He squeezed her hands gently. “On top of that, you write stories. Martin would love to have a gift like yours, considering the fool doesn’t have a creative bone in his body.”
Immediately, her face lit up and she laughed out loud. Her sapphire eyes darkened and twinkled like stars in a night sky. He hadn’t realized how utterly amazing she was until now...and how mesmerizingly lovely. His heart leapt, knowing he had made her feel such happiness.
“You are too kind,” she said with a slightly stronger voice.
He shook his head and tried to stop his heart from beating so fast, and his smile
from widening further. But it was impossible not to feel giddy. Her cheerful expression made his heart light, and he wanted to keep her smiling all the time.
“Anyhow,” he cleared his throat, getting his mind back on the matter at hand, “the reason I wanted to know how Martin treated you was because I’m wondering how he’ll react when I take you back home.”
The enthusiasm in her expression quickly disappeared. “Oh, no. If you return me home, he will find me a husband, and well...I can’t have him do that. I cannot let him marry me off to the highest bidder.”
“He would do that, to be sure.” Frowning, Julian nodded. “However, I need to get you back home so you can spy for me. Come to think of it, you could snoop through his study or his room when he is not there.”
Panic filled her gaze as color faded from her face. “I couldn’t possibly do that.”
Still holding her hand, he brought it to his chest and pressed her palm against his heart. Her attention moved to his chest and her expression softened. Even the rhythm of her breathing quickened. Surprisingly, his heartbeat sped up a notch just from her touch. This wasn’t good at all. How could he think straight if her touch affected him in such a way?
Charming her was working, and he’d have to keep it up if he wanted her full cooperation.
“Miss Templeton, if you help me with this, I promise you here and now that I’ll not let Martin marry you to someone you don’t know or love.”
After a few seconds, her gaze lifted to his face. “I...I, um...believe you.”
Hope grew inside of him. She was slowly succumbing to his will. He needed her help desperately, and if he had to seduce here to get it, he would.
SIX
Part of Alexandria wanted to truly believe him, and yet a part of her wanted to fear him because he had kidnapped her. But the more time she spent with Grey—now that he knew her true identity—the more she couldn’t stop herself from enjoying his company. It was also hard to believe, but it became much easier to talk to him. In fact, she rarely blushed anymore. So far she’d been doing as her sister had encouraged her to do—become the women in her novels. At first it was hard, but the more she conversed with Grey, the more confidence she gained. Perhaps she could do this after all.
Stealing the Duchess Page 4
