by Wendy Vella
Rising, she brushed the dirt from her skirts to give herself a few seconds for the color to subside.
“Now, what has put those roses in your cheeks?”
He stopped before her, his hands wrapping around her upper arms.
“It’s warm out here.”
“No it’s not. It’s quite cold, in fact.”
She made herself look up at his handsome face. Her stomach fluttered, and she had the silly urge to kiss him again. Then there was the happiness that seemed to fill her when he was near.
“Do you know what I think, Miss Whitlow?” His smile was wicked. “I think you were remembering the things we did to each other in the carriage.”
“Leo, stop it.” She looked around, but there was no one nearby.
“I could lure you into those bushes and kiss you again if you wish it?”
Her body turned to liquid in seconds at the image his words created.
“Stop it, you wicked man.”
His laugh was deep. Sliding a hand around her waist, he kissed her with all the hunger they both now felt. When she was breathless, her head resting on his chest, she told him her other news.
“That day you followed me to the shop, Leo. Do you remember that girl who came in, Jessica?”
“I do.” He kissed the top of her head.
“She came in again yesterday, Heather sent me word. And she had her bag, and handed over my card. I have taken steps to have her removed from London to Nick’s estate. She will be safe there.”
“And you have saved another,” he said gently. “My brave Miss Whitlow has succeeded yet again.”
“It means a great deal to me.”
“I know it does, and I also know why. It is good that you are doing this, my sweet. Never doubt I am proud of you.”
Hearing his words meant so much to Beth.
“Now show me the note.”
She moved out of his arms and pulled the paper from her pockets. The lightness left Leo’s face as he read out loud the missive she’d handed him.
“You ruined my life, Miss Whitlow,” he read. “Now I want you to pay. Bring three of your most expensive pieces of jewelry to the Hamilton masked ball. Enter the maze at midnight, and keep walking, I will find you. If you do not come, I will go after your sweet little sister-in-law.”
“How can he accuse me of ruining his life when the reverse is true.” Beth wrapped her arms around her waist, suddenly cold. “It was me who paid the price for what he did. I suffered, while he walked away after violating me, and then murdering my father.”
“I think his mind is not stable, Beth. There will be no more pretense, it seems. He has declared his hand, telling you he is Lloyd,” Leo said, folding the note and putting it in his pocket. “I don’t want you anywhere near him, Beth. We may have to wait until he—”
“No, Leo. It must be the night of the Hamilton ball. I cannot let him harm Grace, and we both know he is capable of that and more. Now we know it is him, he must be dealt with and soon.”
“I don’t want you hurt.” Leo opened his arms, and she walked into them.
“I know, and I also know that will never happen now I have you, Nick, and the others watching over me.”
“I won’t lose you, Beth.” He held her face in his hands. “Not now.”
The words were there suddenly, words she’d never believed herself capable of speaking. Did she dare give herself to this man totally?
“I love you, Leo.”
“Pardon?” He actually blinked.
“I said I love you, Leo. I do not expect you to reciprocate, but I need you to hear the words, as I never believed I would speak them to another person after my father passed. You have unlocked something inside of me, Leo—”
He made a strangled sound in his throat, then pressed his forehead to hers.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“Really?” Beth wanted to shout for joy. Danger hung over her, but right at that moment all that mattered was the man who held her... her love. Leo.
“Really. It crept up on me when I was not looking, and before I knew it there you were, inside my heart.”
“I have so much to live for now, Leo. So much to look forward to. I want that, but first we must catch Lloyd.”
“I will take no risks with you, Beth.”
She kissed him, pressing her lips to his, her hands on his lapels holding him close.
“No risks, Leo. I will be safe, I promise.”
“I will make sure of it. I have to leave you now, love. The Hamilton ball is two nights away only, and I must speak with the others. I would ask you to stay inside until then, Beth. Ask that you stay safe until I come back and tell you of our plans. Will you do that for me?”
“I will, but I will not take orders so readily when we are married and the threat is gone.”
He gave her a slow smile, the one that made her pulse flutter.
“I shall depend upon it, my love.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Leo felt sick. His stomach was twisted in knots, and he had a feeling of impending doom that he could not shake. There were hundreds of people milling around the Hamilton ballroom, and many more outside walking the gardens and maze.
“She has arrived.”
His body snapped to attention as he followed Jacob’s gaze and found Beth. She was walking toward him with Grace and Nick.
Her dress was white with a lace overskirt. It caressed her lush body and swirled around her ankles as she walked. When had he ever been so aware of a woman simply crossing the room before?
“Grace, Poppy, and Charlotte decided white was the best color for visibility in the maze,” Jacob said.
Leo managed to nod, but could not take his eyes from the vision walking toward him. Her mask was white also. Her golden hair was piled on top of her head, and adorned with tiny pearls.
“What?”
“What?” He dragged his eyes from Beth to look at Jacob.
“You made a strangled sound as if you were in pain.”
“No, I did not.”
Jacob smiled. “Yes, you did actually. And can I say I like your future wife? She’s the perfect woman for you.”
“How so?”
“She’s strong, and knows her mind, so you won’t be able to bend her to your will constantly.”
“That was not a compliment.”
“Harriet was never the right one for you, Leo. Surely you can see that now?”
He nodded. “I can, and will add that it is a relief Hyndmarsh took her before I was saddled with her.”
“It’s nice to see you finally succumbing like the rest of us, my friend.”
“Yes, but I will never be as pathetic as you three,” he said, still looking at Beth. She was close now, and the tension inside climbed. Tonight, God willing, they would settle this business with Lloyd, and he and Beth could move on with their lives... together.
“Too late, you’ve already capitulated,” Jacob drawled.
“Good evening, my lord.”
“Miss Whitlow.” He bowed, and then took her hand and placed it on his arm. They did not talk much, but stayed surrounded by their friends.
Poppy was married to Jacob, and a woman who knew her own mind, just as Charlotte, Marcus’s wife, did. Leo respected and liked all his friends’ wives, and for the first time realized what his friends had been talking about when they’d expressed fears or worries about their spouses. He finally understood what it was to have another person in your life you would do anything for. Someone who held your future happiness in their hands. It was a terrifying yet exhilarating thought.
I am no longer alone. The thought flashed through his mind.
“What has you smiling?”
“You,” he said, lifting Beth’s hands and kissing her fingers.
She didn’t speak, simply moved closer to him as they talked to their friends. They appeared to be simply enjoying each other’s company, but what they were doing was biding their time until midnight.
“No thank you, Lord Chalmers.”
Leo swallowed his smile as the man walked away.
She refused every man who asked her to dance, until Leo asked her to waltz with him. He felt ten feet tall leading her out onto the floor.
“When I saw you walk in the room, I lost the ability to think straight,” he whispered in her ear. He was holding her too close, but neither of them cared.
“I hope that feeling passes, as I felt it too. I do not want to go through the rest of my life being temporarily witless when I see you. It is most off-putting, especially for someone who has strived never to be witless in her life before.”
Leo let out a loud bark of laughter. Around them people stared, as he rarely expressed loud displays of emotion when in polite society.
“I love you,” he whispered. Her answer was to place the palm of her hand on his chest and hold it there for the remainder of the dance.
When they returned to the others, he noted only the wives were left, which told him his friends had taken up their positions.
“It is time, Beth.”
He saw her smile falter, but then she drew her shoulders back and nodded.
“All will go well,” he said softly. “I love you,” he added, before walking away.
Poppy, Charlotte, and Grace were to walk her out to the terrace, but only Beth would walk down to the gardens. She had refused to allow the other women to accompany her, as she did not want them put in any danger. They’d argued of course, as was their way. But in this she’d stood firm, and their husbands had agreed.
“Be safe, dear Beth,” Poppy said, touching her hand briefly.
“Don’t do anything rash,” Charlotte said, doing the same.
Grace sniffed and tried not to cry. They could not hug, or draw attention to themselves, so she simply nodded, and then walked away from them.
“I will return soon, and then we have a wedding to plan.”
“Y-yes,” Grace managed to get out. “I will hold you to that.”
Beth walked down the steps away from her new friends, onto the path that was lit with torches. People milled about, chatting and drinking. She knew that Marcus was now behind her, as he was to follow her to the maze, and enter behind her. Leo was already in there, as was Nick. Jacob was somewhere along the path watching... waiting.
Nerves had her wanting to rub her hands together, but she made herself stay calm, and appear as if she was merely enjoying the evening.
She’d walked through the maze in daylight, and had managed to navigate it successfully, but knew that nighttime would be another matter entirely. Taking a deep breath, she entered, exhaling slowly as the walls closed in around her.
It was quieter in there. She knew people were close by, but she saw and heard no one at that moment, which was unsettling.
Just keep walking, the note had said, so she did. Turning corners and walking, to turn another corner. She almost believed he was not coming. Felt relief that she would not have to deal with him or this tonight. But then it would not be over; he would still be out there stalking her.
She saw a group up ahead. They blocked the path; turning, she noted no one behind her, but knew the Lords of Night Street were close.
She tried to skirt around them, but someone grabbed her, and she was thrust into the walls of the maze.
“Hello, Elizabeth.”
Two words, and suddenly she was fifteen again, swamped by the feel of this man pressing her into the mattress, his breath on her as he lifted her skirts and ruthlessly took her innocence.
Fear robbed her thoughts as panic clawed at her throat and held her still. In seconds she was gagged, her hands tied, and a cloak wrapped around her body. Her mask was replaced with another, and the hood drawn over her head.
“I have decided to take you for ransom. Your cousin and fiancé will pay handsomely. Now walk, I have a pistol in your back. Do anything to draw attention to yourself, and I shoot the first person I see.”
She did as he asked.
You are stronger now, Leo will find you, Beth told herself as she tried to force the fear from her head and replace it with something else. He can’t hurt you again, Leo will not let him do that.
She stumbled, and he jabbed the gun into her spine. Beside her two women walked, chatting to her, arms around her waist as if they were friends. This was how they had caught her, he’d used others to hide his actions. They had not thought of that, Beth realized. How would Leo find her now?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Leo’s heart pounded as he ran through the maze. Beth had disappeared.
“Where the hell is she?”
“I saw her near that group, then she vanished,” Nick said.
Marcus came from the other direction, shaking his head. “There are people everywhere, but I cannot see Beth.
“She has to be here!” Leo had known fear, but nothing like this. His heart was thumping, his head was crowded with thoughts, and he couldn’t form a rational one. Beth was in danger and he couldn’t find her.
“We have to find her!”
He started running with his friends on his heels, sprinted through the maze to the other side. They did not encounter Beth on the way.
“I don’t know what to do,” Leo rasped. “Dear Christ, help me find her.”
“Split up, question everyone!” Nick roared.
He ran until his sides heaved. People looked at him like he was crazed, but he cared nothing for that. He’d promised to keep her safe, but he’d failed and now she was in danger, he knew it.
“Excuse me, Lord Vereton, but Lord Hatherton wishes your company at the entrance to the Japanese Gardens.”
Leo didn’t stop to acknowledge the footman, he just ran.
“Where is she?”
“I found this,” Jacob said, handing over a slipper. Beth’s white slipper. “It was on the path leading here.”
“Stay here and wait for the others,” Leo said, taking it and forcing it into his pocket. Entering the gardens, he knew his friends would be on his heels in minutes. There were not as many torches here, but enough light to see the faces of those he passed. None of them were Beth.
He walked across the bridge to give himself a better vantage point, and looked around him. Leo saw another path, and it was there he saw her. It had to be her, because she was struggling to get free.
He put his fingers in his mouth, and a whistle rent the air as he ran. Dodging trees, he took the most direct route. As he ran down the path, the thud of his feet had the three people, who held Beth, turning. The man raised a pistol, and pointed it at Leo.
“Stop, or I shoot!”
Beth fought to get free, trying to get away from the women who still held her.
“No, Beth.” Leo lifted a hand, but kept his eyes on Lloyd. “Be still.” She did as he asked, but he did not hold out much hope she would stay that way for long.
“You better make that shot count, Lloyd, as three of my friends are even now surrounding you with guns. They will not hesitate to put a bullet into you.”
“You lie!”
“That’s for you to decide, but I want you to know that you will not walk out of here alive tonight. For what you did to an innocent, sweet girl, you will pay with your life.”
Beth struggled for release, but the women held her captive.
“Sh-she wanted me.”
Leo kept calm, but it wasn’t easy, as the red haze of rage wanted to consume him.
“I’m killing you for every minute of pain and suffering you caused her, Lloyd, and for the murder of her father.
The hand holding the gun lifted. Leo braced, then watched in horror as Beth wrenched free of the women, and ran at Lloyd.
“No!” She ignored Leo’s roar, and hit Lloyd from the side. They both went down.
Leo ran, reaching for Beth, lifting her to her feet. He pushed her to one side, and grabbed Lloyd’s hand that held the gun, smashing it into the ground.
Lloyd dropped it with an anguished cry, and Leo kicked it away.
“You are the lowest form of man,” he snarled, gripping the collar of his shirt. Planting his fist in the man’s face, he felt the crack of his nose.
“Leo, stop!”
He didn’t, wanting vengeance. He wanted this man to know the fear and pain he had inflicted on Beth.
“Stop now, Leo!”
Hands pulled at him, dragging him off Lloyd. He was then put behind a wall of men.
“No more, you are not killing him here,” Nick said. “See to Beth.”
Shaking his head did little to clear the lust for Lloyd’s blood, but looking left did. Beth stood there, tears streaking down her face.
“Beth.” He held out his arms, and she ran into them. “Thank God.” He pressed her head to his chest briefly. Her hands gripped his jacket, body shaking. “Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head but said nothing, and Leo simply held her until they both found a measure of calm.
“Are you all right, cousin?”
She eased out of his arms when Nick spoke, let him hold her briefly too.
“I am now, thanks to you all.”
She walked to where Lloyd lay curled in a moaning ball in pain. Leo joined her, taking her hand in his.
“He can’t hurt you now, love. It’s done.”
“He looks so pathetic.”
“He will never hurt anyone again, I promise you that.”
He watched as she drew back her foot and kicked the prone man, hard. Turning, she walked away, towing Leo behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
They did not return to the ball; instead Leo had simply walked Beth to his carriage, and taken her home, holding her the entire journey in his lap.
Lloyd and his accomplices were dealt with by his friends. Leo would have something to say on how the man paid for what he had done to Beth, later.
It had been with great reluctance that he’d said goodbye to her at the door to her townhouse. He’d wanted to keep Beth in his arms, hold her the entire night, to assure himself she was not suffering any effects of what she had just endured. However, he could not—her aunt had sent him away.
