Elizabeth’s face went hot at his words. She supposed only ladies of the night would be out so long after dark. She thanked him gratefully and climbed in after telling him the location. Then she settled in and tried to calm her heart.
It was a long ride, undoubtedly expensive, but Elizabeth didn’t care. She asked him to bring her to the closest neighborhood to the outskirts of London, hoping she would be able to begin her search from there.
When they arrived on a lonely street, and she paid the driver, Elizabeth faced the darkness around her. She’d never been out so late at night on her own, and her heart began to race as the carriage rattled away. She was utterly alone now, with only dim gaslight streetlamps around to chase the shadows away. A chill ran over her skin but she tucked her arms into her cloak and began walking down the street, in the opposite direction the carriage had come.
She walked for a while, her steps the only sound to accompany her. Within the span of a few minutes, and after a few twists and turns that led into a different area, Elizabeth came to a stop. “Oh,” she whispered under her breath. “This may help me.”
On the other end of the street stood a bustling tavern. It was quite different from when she would see it during the day. Men staggered in and out of the door and, as she drew nearer, she could hear the noise from within. The light from gas lanterns shone in through the windows. Elizabeth peeked in and saw how full it was.
“If ya’ want to go in, just do it,” came a voice behind her.
Elizabeth gasped under her breath, whirling around. It was the same accent as the man who had robbed her five years ago, but when she turned around, she saw that it wasn’t him. This man’s face was broad, with a large and bumpy nose. Despite this, he had a rather small mouth and a large forehead that accentuated his lack of hair. He did not seem hostile or aggressive. Only a little curious, his tone concerned.
He lifted a bushy brow at her, jerking his tankard in her direction as if he was pointing. “Greetin’s lass. It is rather late for a lady like yaself to be out so late, don’t ya’ think? What ya doin’ out in a place like this?”
“I…I am looking for an inn.” Should she speak less formally? Should she pretend to be like the women she saw traipsing around inside the tavern? It would surely mean ridding herself of her ladylike mannerisms, but how could she do that?
Perhaps I should not have done this so rashly.
She glanced at the busy tavern and her chest caved in at the very thought of braving that establishment. But the roads were lonely and walking alone, especially after what the hackney driver had said to her, did not sound appealing.
“An inn?” He jerked his tankard over to the left of him, not taking his eyes off her for a second. “Yer in luck. There happens to be an inn right over that way. Do you need some help?”
“Is it difficult to find?” she asked innocently. She glanced down the street again and tightened her lips.
“It can be if ya’ don’t know this area well,” the man told her, his tone gentle. “Which is why I think it would best for me to show ya’ the way. This isn’t a very safe area. Ya’ likely to get robbed if ya’ do it on yer own.”
Her heart sank at the word robbed. Suddenly, her hand began to shake and she tucked it behind her.
“That is quite all right,” Elizabeth told him slowly, to mask the sudden fear in her voice. “Thank you. I should be able to find it myself.”
“Are ya sure?”
His slightly worried tone was all it took for Elizabeth to give in to the fear. When she glanced back down the street, all she could see was that man with the beady eyes, demanding that she give him her valuables. Taking a knife to her skin when she resisted. She couldn’t go through that again.
“Very well,” she murmured, trying to assert bravery she didn’t feel. She hoped he couldn’t see through her. “Show me the way.”
The man nodded, turned, and walked off, clearly intending that she follow. Elizabeth hesitated. She didn’t want to be near this tavern any longer—not anywhere near the rowdy vulgarity that she was not used to. Her options were limited. Stay here or take the chance that she might find shelter for the night through the help of this man.
This is a terrible idea. I shouldn’t follow a stranger!
But what else could she do? Brave the lonely street on her own? If there was someone generous enough to walk with her to the inn, then shouldn’t she be grateful and accept his help?
The uncertainty only made her unease deeper but Elizabeth continued walking, only a step behind him. The noise of the tavern began to fade, and soon she could hear nothing but an eerie silence. Elizabeth didn’t dare to break it.
Suddenly, the man grasped her by the arm and tugged her down a dark alley. Elizabeth gasped as her back hit the wall and the horrible stench of garbage hit her nose.
“Didn’t think ya’ would be so gullible, lassie,” the man smirked, tossing his tankard aside. He kept a firm grip on her arm, so tight she was sure it would leave bruises. He dipped his face close to hers.
No…not again.
It was all she could do not to tremble, to give in to the tears that had already sprung to her eyes. “Please,” she gasped, her voice strong despite the terror coiling in her stomach, “Let me go.”
“Not until I’ve had ya’, lass.” His fingers, wet from ale, brushed against her cheek. “We can even get a room at the inn if ya’ will cooperate.”
“N-no.” She swallowed. “I’d rather be alone tonight. And if you do not let me go, I will scream.”
That made the man laugh. “Scream all you want, lassie. Doesn’t matter to me.”
His finger trailed away from her cheek to the collar of her gown. Elizabeth couldn’t move. Like that day, she was frozen, her words stuck in her throat. She could only watch in horror as he dipped his fingers under the collar of her gown and tugged hard. The fabric tore easily under the force and cold air shocked her body.
“P-please,” she begged, but the man before her hand transformed. The concern he’d had before, the gentleness, the kindness he’d shown her—it all fell away to reveal the monster underneath. The monster who pressed his lips against her neck, grinding himself against her leg as a hand sought her bosom.
Elizabeth couldn’t find the power to push him away. She was weak. She was a coward. She hated that about herself, but she couldn’t do anything to stop it. She was useless, unable to find William, unable to protect Gemma, unable to do anything—
“She said to leave her be.”
The voice that cut through was cold and authoritative, sending a chill through Elizabeth. She looked over at the sound of it, spotting a man standing in the darkness. She couldn’t see anything but his tall silhouette and his broad shoulders.
“Leave,” the man ordered. “Or else you’ll find yourself lying amongst that heap of garbage.”
Her assaulter turned to face the newcomer, pulling his shoulders up as if he was facing a bear. “Who do you think you are comin’ around here and makin’ demands? Don’t ya’ see we’re busy?”
“It looks to me like the lady does not want to be touched by you,” the man stated simply. He sounded unintimidated, though Elizabeth couldn’t fathom why. Her assailant had somehow grown even more terrifying, looking outraged at the interruption.
He flexed his hands, then curled them into tight fists. His thin lip curled as he growled, “Ya really hopin’ I bury me fist in ya face, aren’t ya?”
The only response to that was a single clicking sound. The man froze. Elizabeth trembled. She didn’t know how she recognized the sound. She’d never heard a pistol being fired before but somehow she knew this man possessed one.
“Leave,” he said once again, the chill in his voice enough to frost the streets over.
To Elizabeth’s surprise, the man accosting her gritted his teeth and pulled away. He glared at the man in the shadows but he said nothing, didn’t even look back at her, as he stalked away.
Elizabeth’s knees buckled under her.
She held a hand to her chest as she tried to catch her breath, the relief so sharp she could taste it.
“Thank you,” she breathed. “I…I don’t know how to show my gratitude.”
She received no response. Elizabeth looked up to see that the man was no longer standing there. Without thinking, she rushed out of the alley, spotting him making his way back the way she’d come.
“Wait!” she cried out and chased after him. She grabbed the sleeve of his greatcoat and instantly realized it was of magnificent quality. Before she could question it, the man spoke.
“There’s no need to thank me.”
“If you will not take my gratitude then at least allow me to see the face of the man who has helped me. Please.”
The man didn’t move for a moment. Elizabeth stubbornly held on to his coat, preparing to be insistent if he tried to leave again. But he didn’t. Slowly, he began to turn and for some reason, Elizabeth’s heart began beating madly in her chest.
Above their heads, the moonlight shone down on them. The silvery light was enough to make her see the deep blackness of his hair, the sharp, clean-shaven outline of his jaw, the hard mouth, and those deep-set green eyes.
Elizabeth nearly lost her breath. Her jaw fell, shock rocking her body. She couldn’t believe it and yet, there was no denying it. The man from her past, the love she’d never been able to let go of, the very reason she would venture out to this area at night.
Her savior was William.
Chapter 4
William couldn’t believe his eyes.
It didn’t make sense, he knew. This person standing before him…it couldn’t possibly be who he thought it was. But as he took in the same silvery-blonde hair he remembered so vividly, the big, brown eyes that always stared up at him with such innocence, the small, rosy lips he’d one day hoped to kiss, he couldn’t deny what was right before his eyes.
“Beth?”
She jerked back, letting go of his sleeve as her hand flew to her mouth. “It can’t be…”
The emotions rushing through him were ones he hadn’t felt in a while, ones that felt out of place considering the dark, brooding state he’d been in just a moment ago. His finger twitched with the urge to touch her, to make sure she was real, but he held it stiffly by his side.
It was her, but different, even with the same freckled cheeks and rosy lips. But she’d grown into herself, having shed her youth and blossomed into a woman. It was evident in the curves she boasted under that simple grey gown, in the way she carried herself, even though she held her cloak tightly around her to cover her torn gown.
“It is you,” she breathed, those eyes searching his face as if she truly couldn’t believe it. “How can this be? I’ve been searching for you for so long that now that you’re standing before me, I—”
William watched her eyes fill with tears, her hand covering her mouth as if to hold back her sob. The sight tore at him but he said nothing. He’d been struck dumb.
“What are you doing in a place like this?” Elizabeth asked him. She clutched his sleeve, her fingers digging into his arm. She didn’t seem to realize it as desperation filled her voice. “Is this where you’ve been all this time? Why haven’t you contacted me in so many years?”
Those were questions he’d spent seven years hoping he would never have to hear. Memories came rushing to the fore and William determinedly pushed them back down.
“What were you thinking following a stranger like that?” William snapped, his voice far harsher than he’d intended. Now that he knew the woman was Elizabeth, the weight of what might have happened had William not followed them grew heavier. He let out a shuddering breath, knowing very well that anger was filling his features and not knowing how to hide it.
The Elizabeth he’d always known would have scowled at his tone. She would have bit back at him, crossing her arms in a defiant nature. He expected her to come up with an excuse as to why she’d foolishly followed a stranger down a lonely street, an excuse that would have been obviously fabricated on the spot. Perhaps he might have laughed inwardly at her audacity, even though outrage was still filling him.
But Elizabeth didn’t cross her arms. She didn’t lift her chin and scowl and tell him a ridiculous reason for doing something so dangerous. She recoiled instead, her hand falling from his sleeve. As if she was afraid of what he might do, she took a step back like a frightened doe. Those tear-filled eyes didn’t make him feel any better.
“I…” She lifted her hand to the collar of her cloak, gripping it tightly. Her eyes slid away. “I…don’t know. I was afraid that—”
“Never mind,” William said curtly. He didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want to listen to her soft voice while the image of her pressed against a cold wall by such a disgusting man filled his mind. “Stay out of trouble.”
He turned, tucking his hands back into his coat, intending to walk away. Her vice grip took hold of his sleeve once more. William’s heart thudded in his chest, his throat clogging. Waves of foreign emotions washed over him all at once and it was all he could do not to face her again.
“You can’t leave,” she whispered. The sound tore at him but he kept his back to her. If he dared to look into her eyes, the very thing that had always been able to bring him to his knees, he just might break. All these years, he’d held resilient. He’d kept himself away from the eyes of others, kept himself quiet, and put all thoughts of Elizabeth to the back of his mind. To have her appear so suddenly before him right now felt almost unfair to all the progress he’d made over the years.
“William,” she spoke again, her voice louder this time, though still hampered by her tears. William curled his hands into fists, fighting the insane urge to pull her into his arms. He’d only seen Elizabeth cry once before. It was a sight he never wanted to see again. “I came all the way out here to look for you,” she went on. “I can’t…you can’t…you can’t leave me again.”
He turned suddenly, forcing her to let go of him. Like that frightened doe, she winced when his eyes landed on her, but she didn’t look away.
This is the very last thing I need right now.
“Leave,” he told her.
She blinked at that. Then swallowed and raised her chin ever so slightly. “I have nowhere to go.”
That sounded more like the Elizabeth he knew, though her voice was timid. He didn’t lessen his glower, didn’t lift his dark gaze from her. He needed to scare her. “I hesitate to believe that you have truly run away from home. And if that is the case, then return. This is no place for a lady like yourself.”
“And what of you?” she asked before he could turn away. “Is this the sort of neighborhood you should be in? Are you accustomed to men such as the one who accosted me earlier?”
“If I say yes?”
“I will not believe you.” This time, she did cross her arms. “The William I know would not associate himself with such things.”
William barked a harsh laugh. “The William you know no longer exists, Beth.”
“If that is the case, you would not be calling me by that name. That is all the evidence I need to know that you are still there.”
He opened his mouth to retort—and could find nothing to say. Even though tears were drying on her cheeks and her eyes could not fully settle on his face, her tone was unchallengeable. And she was right. He’d fallen back into his old practice of calling her ‘Beth’ the moment he saw her.
As if he was still attached to the past he’d tried to cut off.
William didn’t allow his speechless state to last any longer than a moment. “Believe what you will, Elizabeth,” he emphasized. “But let me tell you this last bit of advice: leave this place as quickly as you can and return to the safety of your home. It is in your best interests, I assure you.”
He had the strength to turn away this time. He believed that, after telling her what he could, he had handled her appearance well. Once he walked away, he would once again cut off his past like he’d done before
.
But he should have known it wouldn’t be so easy.
“What if I tell you that I won’t return home?” came her whisper from behind. William froze. In the distance, he saw the light from the tavern. In the silence that ensued, he heard the noise of its patrons and his own pounding heart. Then, she continued, “If you walk away from me right now, I will only turn and find that inn myself. And that is only if I find I cannot follow you for the rest of the night. You can say what you will, but I won’t listen. I’ve spent such a long time trying to find you that I won’t let you disappear again.”
He suddenly felt cold. The mere thought of Elizabeth braving the streets on her own again had him washed with fear—a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time. Even when he’d faced rowdy men in a brawl, a knife pressed against his neck, he’d felt no fear. When he’d stared down the barrel of a pistol while being robbed, the emotion had been absent. But here, at the very thought of this woman he’d forced himself not to think about for so long being all by herself…William hated how desperate that made him.
What Desire Demands, My Duke: A Steamy Historical Regency Romance Novel Page 5
