The tip of the knife blade pierced her skin and she hissed in pain as a trickle of blood ran down her neck. “No, you rather ruined my chances on that score, didn’t you? However, I fully intend to gain retribution for that. For now, I’ve come to collect the funds you stole from me.”
“That I stole from you?” She scoffed. “That’s rather amusing, considering it was my dowry that you took — quite illegally, in fact.”
“Tsk, my dear. It’s not as if you are pining for me. After I broke you in, it certainly didn’t take you long to lift your skirts for Claymoore.”
His mouth quirked upward in a smirk and Isabella had to clench her fist at her side. The urge to strike out at the viscount made her palm itch, but she could do the most damage by lashing out with her words. “You taught me to have some taste in my selection, and trust me when I say you’re half the man he is, both in and out of the bedchamber.”
She winced as the knife dug in a bit deeper. “You enjoy trying my patience, don’t you? We’ll see how well you do when I slit your throat.” His put his mouth right next to her ear and enunciated each word carefully. “Now. Give. Me. My. Money.”
The click of a pistol was loud in the silence of the room, but it certainly got the viscount’s attention as he turned toward the sound.
If the steady grip on the weapon wasn’t enough of a deterrent for Simon to think twice, then the thunderous look on Ridge’s face as he stared down his opponent was enough to strike fear into the most hardened of men. He wore trousers and nothing else, and if Isabella hadn’t been held in the grip of a madman, she would have swooned at the sight of that firm chest on proud display. “Release the lady, and I’ll give you what you want, Wistenberry.”
Simon scoffed. “A bullet right between the eyes, no doubt.” He shook his head and his grip on her tightened. “I’m afraid I will have to pass.”
Ridge’s grin was pure malice. “Oh, make no mistake. I will gladly offer that regardless. It would be a mercy to end the life of a spineless creature like you.”
“As if you are any better,” Simon returned. “I suppose you intend to make an honorable woman out of her too?”
Ridge didn’t even hesitate, and Isabella loved him even more for it. “I do.”
“Indeed.” Simon withdrew a paper from his pocket and held it up. “And would you be speaking of this document?”
Ridge took a step forward, but Simon dragged Isabella over to the fireplace and held the paper over the flames. “One more move and I toss it into the grate where it will be burnt to ash. No doubt it would be difficult to procure another one in such a short amount of time, leaving Isabella vulnerable in wedding another man.”
Ridge’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want?”
“First, how about you lower that gun?”
Ridge reluctantly did as he was told and set it on the floor.
“Now kick it away from you.” The pistol skidded across the hard wood as Simon returned the special license to his pocket then motioned toward her valise with his knife. “There should be a packet in the bottom of her bag. Toss it to me.”
All the blood left Isabella’s face as Ridge bent down and withdrew the funds from her dowry, and it wasn’t because that was her ticket to the New World. There was one person who’d known she even had that money. She closed her eyes briefly, praying that she was wrong, but knowing in her heart that she wasn’t.
“What have you done with her?” she choked out. “Where’s Claudia?”
Simon chuckled as Ridge threw him the money, which he caught and also tucked securely in the inner pocket of his jacket, all while keeping the knife blade pressed securely against her skin. “Figured it out, have you? As if I would embark on such a dangerous enterprise without a bit of insurance to secure my departure from London. And with two women to barter with among the savages in America, I should think my alternate plan will come to fruition rather smoothly. It might even be enough to recoup the losses which you and your lover took from me.”
He started to move toward the door. “I do believe that is enough chit chat. Forgive us, Claymoore, but we have a ship waiting in the harbor, and we must be on our way.”
Isabella noted the ripple of tension as Ridge watched their every movement. “This isn’t over, Wistenberry,” he vowed quietly. “Isabella is mine, and you know that I will do everything in my power to stop you. You will never be free of me as long as I live.”
“Then perhaps we should take care of that little problem now.”
Isabella’s eyes widened as Simon withdrew a pistol from the waistband of his trousers.
He lifted the weapon and cocked the pistol, pointing it directly in the center of Ridge’s chest. “No!” she screamed and tried to wrestle the gun away from him, but it went off, the sound deafening, and the acrid scent of gunpowder filling her nostrils.
Through the haze of smoke that temporarily blurred her vision, she saw Ridge dive for his pistol and raise it calmly in the air. Simon’s eyes bulged just before Ridge pulled the trigger.
Another blast, and then all was silent.
Isabella began to sob as she stumbled away from Simon’s lifeless body; her single thought was to get to Ridge.
She rushed into his waiting arms and clung to him, and then moved back and began to inspect him for injuries. “Are you hurt? Did the gun—?”
He held on to her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “I’m fine. Not even a graze, thanks to your amazing courage. You saved my life.”
“I suppose we’re even, then.” She offered a wobbly smile, the horrid aftermath starting to penetrate her senses, the shock wearing off to allow the panic to set in, to think about what could have happened.
The door exploded open to reveal Millicent and Kitty, whose eyes became round with alarm as she pointed at Isabella and started rambling., “Th’ lyin’ cur! ’E told me ’e only wanted ’er! ’E wasn’t supposed t’ harm ye, Ridge, I swear it!”
Beside Isabella, Ridge stiffened, but Millicent reacted before he had a chance to say a word. She spun on Kitty and her hand flew upward, the crack of her strike as loud as any gun discharge. “You would dare to betray one of our own? You know that Ridge is like a son to me! Gather your things at once. I don’t want to see your face again!”
Kitty turned white, although her cheek was red where the madame had struck her. Her thin wail of distress rose, almost obscuring her words. “Millicent, please, I didn’t know—!”
“Your foolishness is no excuse,” she snapped. “You are no longer welcome here.”
The girl turned pleading eyes on Ridge, but he remained silent, effectively sealing her fate. She rushed out of the room in a flurry of tears. Although Isabella should be equally furious with the girl for her subterfuge, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She knew that, if the roles were reversed, she might have been forced into the same sort of service to survive. And who was she to lay blame to any woman whose heart was lost to Ridge? Hadn’t she fallen easily enough?
She swallowed and turned to Ridge. “Is there something we could… do for her? I shouldn’t like her to be tossed into the streets where we both know her chances for survival are slim.”
He regarded her for a moment and then nodded his head, however reluctantly. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you.” She took his hand in hers and squeezed gently.
She turned her attention back to Millicent who was bending down next to Simon. When Isabella heard a groan come from him, she gasped. “He’s not dead?”
Ridge snorted. “As if I would pass up the chance to see him tried and hanged for his crimes.” He turned to her and added, “I wounded him in the shoulder.”
Relief flooded Isabella, even if she wasn’t exactly sure why that was. Perhaps it was simply that she didn’t want Ridge to have to live with any further transgressions on his conscience. He likely had enough to contend with in his past.
He walked to the viscount and relieved him of Isabella’s dowry and the special ma
rriage license. Then Ridge withdrew his vial of smelling salts from his pocket. “Let’s find out where he took your maid.”
***
After Simon had been revived and the watch arrived to cart him away to the Tower, Ridge and Isabella rushed to the docks. He’d donned his eye-patch in the off chance One-Eye could be of more assistance than Mr. Claymoore, and began questioning the men who milled about the harbor.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long before some grizzled sailor paused and scratched his beard. “Aye, I saw some gel whot fit tha’ description.” He pointed toward a brigantine that was still moored in the water. “Ask th’ men o’ th’ Rose Red.”
Ridge tossed him a coin for the information and turned, assuring himself that Isabella was at his side. In the traveling gown she had hurriedly donned before departing Millicent’s, she still looked a bit more wealthy than would be expected of a woman by his side. Best he keep her close as they rushed toward the vessel. He shouted in his cockney accent to gain the crew’s attention. “Anyone o’ board?”
After a moment, a man glanced over the side. “Aye. Whot do ye want?”
“I understand ye have a ledy o’ board.”
The crewman set a boot on the edge of the ship and spat over the side. “Whot gives ye that idea?”
Instead of answering right away, Ridge held up a shiny gold guinea, sure to catch the man’s eye. “I’d like to secure her release.”
“I’m afraid ye’re gonna have t’ do better than that.” He studied Ridge in his common clothes, and then glanced at Isabella in her obvious finery. “Ten guineas an’ ye got yerself a deal.”
Isabella’s face blanched, but Ridge said firmly, “Agreed. Now affix th’ gangplank.”
Once it was in place, Ridge looked at Isabella and gave a brief nod as they strode up the wooden walkway and boarded the ship. “Ye must be One-Eye,” the crewman grinned. “Yer reputation proceeds ye.”
Ridge merely grunted. “The woman?”
He gestured toward the stairs leading below deck. “She’s down there.”
Ridge tossed him a single coin and said evenly, “Ye’ll get th’ rest when she’s in my possession.”
He reached for Isabella, but the crewman stepped in between them. “Ye don’t need th’ ledy t’ go wit’ ye. ’Ow about if she stays ‘ere and entertains us for a spell?”
Ridge smiled, but Isabella could see the tension coiled within him like a spring. “She’s no’ part o’ our bargain.
The grin widened. “She is now.”
Ridge watched as several more crewmen walked over with slow deliberate steps and stood behind their first mate, the man in charge while the captain was absent. “Ye really don’t want t’ do this,” Ridge warned him.
The man didn’t seem concerned as he crossed his arms over his large chest. “I’m no’ that worried.”
As his eyes shifted to Isabella, that was all of a distraction Ridge needed to act. He withdrew a knife from the inside of his coat pocket and let it fly. It hit his target exactly where he wanted it to land — in the middle of the man’s right palm.
As the first mate howled in pain, Ridge didn’t even try to continue his accent as he pulled out a pistol and glared at the rest of the men gathered around, who were a bit more wary of their prey now. “I do apologize for that, but to be fair, I gave you the choice to do this the easy way. Unfortunately, such an injury will make it a bit more difficult to satisfy your lust for a while once the ladyloves on shore rebuke your advances, for rest assured, I will make sure you’re no longer welcome through any of their doors.”
Without turning his head to Isabella, he said firmly, “Go.”
She hesitated. “But what about you?”
His grin was pure maliciousness as he regarded his opponents. “Oh, I think they’ll behave while you’re gone, won’t you lads?”
No one answered, but neither did they move as Isabella hurried below deck.
***
Isabella thought that the best place to look would be the captain’s quarters, but when she found it to be empty, she started searching other places, calling out Claudia’s name as she went. At last, she heard an answering reply, and her heart lodged in her throat when she came upon a locked door at the end of the passage.
Throwing back the bolt, she went inside. Claudia was huddled on a dingy cot in the corner. While a bit disheveled, she appeared to be unharmed, and Isabella was eternally grateful for that fact.
“Claudia, I’ve come to get you out of here,” said Isabella.
When the maid glanced up, she jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Isabella with a sob. “Oh, my lady! Thank God!”
Isabella was grateful as well, but she pulled Claudia toward the door. “There’s plenty of time for tears later, but right now we must go. Ridge is facing off with several men on this ship as we speak.”
Claudia nodded, and together they rushed back to the top deck. Isabella released a heavy breath in relief upon seeing that nothing had changed. As she came abreast of Ridge, he said, “Ah, there you are, my dear. Run along back home now. I’ll join you momentarily.”
She swallowed, for she didn’t want to leave him, but she knew that tone, and it was one that brooked no argument. Thus, she hastened down the gangplank with Claudia on her heels and together they made their way back to Millicent’s just as dawn was breaking the sky. She shook her head, thinking of how many times in recent days that she’d witnessed this exact moment, and the fear it had inspired within her. It wasn’t any different now, but she forced herself to remain calm and have faith in Ridge’s abilities.
When they walked inside, the madame herself greeted them, glancing beyond Isabella’s shoulder. “Where’s Ridge?”
“He’s still at the ship,” Isabella said grimly. “He told us to leave without him.”
Millicent started to pace back and forth, muttering, “Foolish, stupid boy.”
It was in that moment, with the lady’s face so drawn and pale, that Isabella realized something very important. She clutched Claudia’s hand and said, “Why don’t you go upstairs and wait for me. Last door on the left.” Her maid nodded wearily and climbed the stairs.
When Isabella was alone with Millicent she walked toward the other woman and asked quietly, “You’re his true mother, aren’t you?”
The lady’s head whipped around, and she pierced Isabella with a stare so direct that there was surely no denying the similarities now. “What makes you say that?”
Instead of answering, Isabella prodded, “It’s true, isn’t it?”
Millicent sniffed and turned her head, and although Isabella noted that she didn’t deny her claim, she was also stubborn enough not to admit it outright either. And then another thought occurred to her, prompting Isabella to walk over and clutch the other woman’s arm. “This means that you also know his father’s identity as well, don’t you?”
Millicent lifted her brown eyes, the same ones that mirrored her son’s, though they were filled with guilt and a sadness so great that it caused Isabella’s chest to ache.
“You have to tell him,” she said softly.
The woman broke away from her and shook her head, a fist pressed against her breast. “I can’t. He would never forgive me.”
“Don’t you still think you owe it to him to tell him the truth?”
Her brown eyes flashed. “What good could it possibly do?”
“It would give him closure,” Isabella explained. “Ridge is good at hiding his emotions, but I’ve seen the faraway look in his eyes that he tries so hard to hide. He would never admit it, but there’s still that lost little boy inside of him. I believe that he could stop searching for something that isn’t there if he had someone to love. If he had family.”
“I’ve always been there for him,” Millicent countered. “As for his father…” She trailed off with a sigh. “I never told him about Ridge, because I knew it wouldn’t matter. It isn’t as though he could ever be acknowledged.” She shook her head. “We shar
ed nothing more than a brief, torrid affair, but it was the most amazing time of my life.” Her expression turned wistful, but then she shuttered herself off. “However, once I found out I was with child, I immediately broke things off and he eventually did his duty and married another, someone suited to his class.” She looked at Isabella with that same, earlier determination. “I see no point in disrupting his life now.”
“Even if it means putting Ridge’s mind at rest?”
For reply, Millicent lifted her chin in defiance and turned away.
“I see.” Isabella sighed. It was apparent that nothing she said could sway her mind. But as the door opened and Ridge walked in, any further thought fled upon seeing him.
She rushed into his arms. “Oh, thank God! I was so worried something had happened.”
Ridge winked at her as he removed his eye-patch. “Rest assured, it would take more than that crew of inept sailors to do me in.” He glanced around. “Where’s Claudia?”
“I sent her upstairs to your room. No doubt she’s already asleep.”
Ridge cupped her cheek and gave her a light kiss on the lips. “Why don’t you head up and do the same? You must be exhausted as well.”
“What about you?” she asked.
He glanced over her head. “I think I’ll stay down here for a bit and chat with Millicent.”
“Very well.” She looked over at the madame, but the woman refused to meet her gaze. With one last smile at Ridge, she took her leave.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ridge watched Isabella until she was out of sight, his heart expanding with the knowledge that she was his. He still had to figure out what to do with his life, now that he’d ceased any further activity for Whitehall, but he was confident that he would be able to make a good life for Isabella — and their family. While the thought of becoming a father scared him most of all, considering he never had one of his own, he prayed he didn’t muddle up the poor child’s life.
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