by Brown, Em
Despite herself, she glanced back at the couple and observed that they had but one cup between them. The young man cut into an apple and gave the young woman the larger of the slices, reserving only small bites for himself. Abbey motioned for the innkeeper and pressed a shilling into his hand.
“See that they have a bottle of wine and serve them a meal of bread, cheese, and meatpie,” she instructed.
The innkeeper nodded. Rising to her feet, Abbey decided to step outside that she would not be enticed to think more about the young couple. She wanted no reservations staying her from going to Gretna Green with the Viscount. She would be a fool and have lain waste all her efforts if she did not now see her plan through. Imagine the consternation of Frotham when she and Tremayne returned to London as man and wife! Once married, she reminded herself, she and Tremayne would lead separate lives. She would be free to pursue other interests...and other men.
The inn had very little posting traffic this time of night. Charles must have chosen this hour to minimize the chance that he might be spotted. She noted a carriage pulling up to the inn, but it had no lantern to illuminate it. Was Charles so overcome with caution that he would not allow his driver any light? The sound of footsteps behind her made her turn her head, but before she could see who it was, something was pulled over her head, blinding her. Her cry of surprise was muffled by a hand about her mouth. She grabbed at the hand and felt herself lifted off her feet and thrown onto the floor of a vehicle – likely the dark carriage she had observed. She clawed and kicked, but her arms were pinioned and her wrists bound together. Her foot connected with her assailant’s body, but he only grunted before forcing her ankles together.
What a fool she was to have ventured outside the inn alone! She should have had her footman with her. Now she had been abducted by highwaymen! But why did they not simply take her jewels and her reticule? Did they intend to ransom her? Perhaps they had assumed from her attire – a tight fitting redingote with bust draping and ruffled sleeves, ribboned hat, and buckled ankle boots – that she came from a family of means. Little did they know that she had no family.
Despite being bound, she thrashed about and screamed in the hopes that someone might hear. But the carriage had lurched forward, and she could feel herself being taken from the inn. Charles would see that something had happened to her. The innkeeper would explain that she had been sitting inside the inn but a few moments ago. Charles would then go in search of her. But what if he did not arrive at the inn in timely fashion? He knew better than to keep her waiting long but what if he had been waylaid? God only knew what her abductors might do to her in the meantime. She had to escape!
“You need not worry, Baroness,” a man’s voice whispered above her. “You will come to no harm.”
Baroness? He knew who she was then. But that was not a difficult deduction as anyone could have asked the servants her identity.
“I cannot breathe,” she said.
At first, she heard no response. Then the fabric about her head was rolled above her mouth and the point of her nose.
“I would advise you to release me,” she said. “Or you will have the force of Viscount Tremayne upon you.”
Did she hear the man snort?
“He will discover me missing for he is expecting to find me waiting for him at the Inn of Four Knights.”
“I think not for he received a note from you earlier that you have reconsidered the matter and have decided you cannot marry him.”
His words stunned her. How had he known of their plans? This was the hand of the Earl at play. No one else would have an interest in what was to happen.
“What do you intend with me?” she asked carefully, wondering how far the Earl would go to prevent her from running his son.
“That shall be revealed in due time.”
“Charles will not believe the note and come in search of me,” she tried.
“Perhaps. If he is not devastated by your rejection and seeks verification from your lips, he will be hard pressed to find you.”
A shiver shot up her spine. Did the Earl intend that Charles should never see her again? Would Frotham go so far as to have her eliminated permanently?
As if reading her mind, her abductor reminded her, “I assure you that you will come to no harm.”
“You will forgive me if I do not accept your word without doubt,” she replied wryly. Despite the desperate thudding of her heart, she would not cower before him. She would not give Frotham that satisfaction.
She heard him moving, then felt herself being lifted off the floor and onto the cushioned seat of the carriage. She felt his breath upon her cheek. His mouth was near her ear.
“I will amend my statement. No harm will come to you – if you abide by my commands.”
“And if I do not?”
“Each act of defiance will merit a commensurate punishment.”
“Such as?”
“You will discover in due time.”
“I thought I was to come to no harm if I did as told?”
“Baroness, you do not strike me as the obedient sort. Nonetheless, you shall be tamed.”
Her eyes widened. Good God, who was this man? What did he intend?
“You need not fear. Quite the contrary. There is much to anticipate. If I have your full and complete obedience, you shall be rewarded – with unlimited pleasures.”
Chapter Ten
SHE WONDERED IF HE could hear her heat beating. After a difficult swallow, Abbey asked flippantly, “Did Frotham issue such orders to you? I had always suspected him to be the deviant.”
She felt him move across the carriage to the seat opposite her. If she could maintain a lighter tenor, her abductor might be more apt to talk.
“You speak with such venom. I take it you are not enamored of His Lordship.”
So the man knew the Earl, as she had suspected. The abductor was no commoner. That much could be concluded by his speech. But why would the Earl hire a gentleman to execute his plans? Perhaps Frotham trusted this man.
“I am no friend of his,” she phrased. “Whatever he is paying you, I will offer you double.”
Silence.
Encouraged, she added, “I am a woman of great wealth – worth far more alive than dead.”
“I have no intention of killing you,” he said with an odd hitch in his voice. “I am aware of your affluence, but I think you do not know the full extent of your worth.”
“Ten thousand pounds,” she spat. “He offered me ten thousand pounds if I would stay away from his son. A paltry sum for all the pain...I doubt he offered you as much?”
“Why do you presume the Earl is involved?”
“Because I know his motives. He would attempt much to protect his precious son from me.”
“You believe there would be no other cause for abducting you?”
“You may wish to ransom me, sir, but I have no family and no friends to whom you could address the request. But return me safely and I will assure you a most satisfying compensation.”
“Define ‘satisfying.’”
She thought for a moment. She had just dubbed ten thousand pounds as paltry. The amount would have to be significant to give him pause.
“Twenty thousand pounds,” she pronounced. Surely the miserly Frotham could not have offered better.
His silence confirmed her assumption.
“But setting you free would not be nearly as pleasurable,” he drawled.
Did her ears deceive her? Had the man refused twenty thousand pounds?
“Twenty thousand pounds,” she repeated. “I jest not.”
“Nor do I.”
“You may have the payment in any form that you wish. Your anonymity can be maintained if you worry of retribution or reprisal.”
He leaned in. “I have in my carriage and at my will a beautiful woman. A woman whose delectable body calls for the touch of man – a proper man. A woman who can ignite the deepest desires in a man with a simple glance. You would have me
set free such a prize?”
Her mouth went dry. Was the man in earnest? Or was he attempting to extract a higher amount from her?
“I would consider an amount greater than twenty thousand,” she offered, her voice beginning to waver for the first time.
She heard him settling back into his seat. “You may offer any sum you wish, Baroness. Would the price of your freedom be less tomorrow?”
She paled as she realized the implications of what he said. At present, he held all the cards.
“I doubt it would it change if I released you today or a sennight hence,” he confirmed. “Lest you decide that you would rather not be free.”
Now the man was speaking nonsense. Although...he gave every indication of being of sound mind. Though he did not seem sinister, there was clearly a malicious bent in his purpose.
“How were that possible?” she inquired, hoping to elicit more of his intentions.
“All will be revealed, Baroness, in good time.”
She sensed he was done talking, and she did not pursue the matter. What could she do? What could she offer the man to reconsider his plans? Surely the Earl wanted only to keep her from marrying the Viscount. This other purpose voiced by her abductor must be of his own doing. He had seemed interested in her offer, but did he intend to rape her first before setting her free? She could offer him more if he released her unscathed, but as he had alluded, she was in no position to set the terms. Her only option was to escape at all cost.
MONTAGUE KNEW FROM the silence that Lady Debarlow to be contemplating her options, much as he was doing. He had been tempted to accept her offer. He would have preferred to do business with her over the Earl. He could have his twenty thousand pounds, set her free, and have no more obligations to Frotham. But he could not in good conscience exact such a grand sum from her when her predicament was not of her doing. Nor could he guarantee that Henry would sell him back the promissory notes.
She had shown an impressive presence of mind given her current situation, but he could sense her trepidation in the tenseness of her body. He wanted to put her at ease.
“In an hour we will come upon a posting inn where you may stretch your legs,” he explained, “and partake of libations. I do not intend for this journey to be of great discomfort.”
“Where are we headed?” she asked.
“That shall remain a mystery to you.”
“And your purpose for taking me there?”
He grinned. He was looking forward to being back at Chelton, but with Lady Debarlow, the prospect was beyond inviting.
“I promise that, with good behavior, you shall be rewarded with pleasure.”
“And you know that which would please me?”
Her challenge did not surprise him. “I know what pleases the fair sex.”
Despite the darkness, he thought he saw her brows arch skeptically.
“A bold and overarching statement.”
“Allow me to rephrase for it is true that each woman has tastes unique to herself, each possessing her own sensitivities. I know how to please the fair sex.”
“How?”
She was curious. A good sign. He could sense a shade less fear.
“By making, as you were quick to call attention to, no assumptions and to allow her responses to dictate what I do. It were as if each woman be a new instructor, a new subject, and I always the pupil.”
“You have made a ‘study’ of bedding a woman.”
“Have you not done the same with your lovers? Discovered that which makes them mad with lust and exploited that knowledge?”
“You know my lovers?”
“I know of them. Your liaisons are hardly secret, though your choice of lovers is a bit mystifying.”
“Indeed?”
It were probably best that he err on the side of reserve, but the question was too tempting.
“A pup like the Viscount Tremayne is hardly worth a woman of your pedigree, shall we say?”
“Polite society would not see it as you have stated.”
“Polite society does not properly value a woman like yourself.”
He could sense she was taken aback.
“You voice a most heterodox belief, sir. Do you purport to know me well?”
“Well enough.”
“How long have you known me?”
“You are trying to discern my identity, Baroness.”
“Do you fear to reveal yourself to me?”
“Do you not find the anonymity more engaging?”
“You have not answered my question: do you fear to reveal yourself?”
He could not help but smile. She was persistent.
“Not fear, Baroness. But would you not agree that it would be foolhardy of me to do so?”
“I promise that I shall not seek retribution, if you would set me free.”
“I think not.”
As she once more lapsed into silence, he wondered that he could restrain himself until they arrived at Chelton. He could not sit in the confines of the carriage without brushing against her skirts. Picturing her in her smart outfit, her lovely arms bound behind her, he wanted very much to take her then and there. But if he made an attempt now, she would fight him with all her might. He needed to tame the caged animal first.
They reached the outskirts of a small village. The carriage stopped in front of an abandoned old lean-to. Jonathan, who had been riding with the driver, leaped off and assisted Montague with the Baroness. She resisted at first, but feeling a pair of hands upon each of her arms, she realized that a struggle would be futile. They led her inside and sat her in a wooden chair. Jonathan fetched a lamp and placed it on the table, one of the few pieces of furniture remaining in the shelter. He laid out wine, bread, and cheese.
Montague took the only other chair sat in the darkest corner of the room. He placed his mask over his head and nodded to Jonathan to remove the Baroness’ covering and bindings. Lady Debarlow winced at the light, but she quickly took in her surroundings. She looked at Jonathan, but he was headed out the door. They heard the carriage leave.
“He will return after he has secured a fresh pair of horses,” Montague supplied.
“Then it be but you and I here?” she asked, peering into the corner.
“Aye, but there is no need to entertain thoughts of escaping.”
He rose from his chair and went to pour a glass of wine for her. She eyed him as if looking through his mask.
“I have seen you before,” she said.
He held the glass out to her. Still in thought, she took it from him but did not drink.
“At Madame Botreaux’s.”
He paused before acknowledging, “I am gratified that my presence drew your notice.”
“And apparently mine yours.”
“From the very first day.”
“But how is it you know who I am?” she inquired with some agitation. “Did Penelope reveal me?”
“You know she would not.”
“Then how...?”
“I have other means.”
He could tell from her frown that she did not like the situation.
“Fear not,” he assured her. “Your identity is safe with me. I have no cause to brandish your patronage of The Cavern to anyone.”
“Forgive me if I doubt the motives of a man who resorts to kidnapping women!”
“Touché. I can offer you no proof, only a promise that I have no interest in blackmailing you.”
“You have abducted me simply because you were so taken by me?” she inquired with a wry smile.
He stepped towards her and leaned in. “Remarkably so.”
“Your approach is rather barbaric. Do you also club women about their heads before dragging them into your cave?”
“Does the thought titillate you? Despite our evolution and our ability to engage in higher thought, man is still guided by his basest instincts. I warrant the fair sex would prefer a man who can claim his woman in no uncertain terms.”
“An
d you are such a man?”
“Are you not here with me now?”
She smiled coyly up at him, and he felt himself drawn into her, wanting to press his lips to hers and taste her mouth once more. It seemed she turned her chin upwards to receive his kiss, but as he bent further, she threw the contents of her wine glass in his face. When he had wiped the wine from the eyes of his mask, he saw her headed for the door. He dashed towards her, knocking over the lamp in the process. The sound of it crashing to the ground made her glance back. He caught her just as she turned to open the door. She tried to jerk her arm free from him, then struck at his head. The blow nearly knocked his mask askew, but he grabbed her other wrist before she could attempt another strike. He pulled her back towards the table. She dug in her heels, but when that proved fruitless, she resisted by falling off her feet. He could have dragged her along the floor, but not wanting to wrench her arms, he hauled her up and threw her over his shoulder. She kicked and thrashed. The point of her boot caught his thigh. He contained an oath and attempted to deposit her back into the chair. However, she had managed to push her body up and clawed at his mask. She slipped off his shoulder when he fended off her attack, but he caught her as her feet touched the ground and bent her over the table. Grabbing the rope that had bound her before, he tied her arms once more behind her back. It was no easy matter for she continued her struggles, and she was no weakling. He hoped that Jonathan would not be long with the horses. He had to press her down with his weight to keep her from moving as he bound her wrists between their bodies.
“Well, Lady Debarlow,” he said when he was satisfied that he had subdued her enough, “that was certainly not the obedience that I seek. And now I shall have to punish you.”
