“Have you lost your mind? You could have killed us.”
His fat lips twisted in an ugly smile. “I would rather have you dead than out of my grasp.” With one last heave, Thomas pulled her out of the carriage and had his hand wrapped around her throat. Brianna had only a brief moment to see that at least two of Stefan’s footmen were lying on the ground bleeding and that the groom was surrounded by Thomas’s henchmen. “You belong to me, Brianna. Do not ever forget that.”
Barely capable of breathing, Brianna lifted her hands and futilely tugged at the fingers threatening to crush her throat.
“So beautiful. I will hide you away where no one can find you,” he muttered, almost to himself, loosening his grip on her throat.
Brianna forgot the pain in her throat as horror shuddered through her.
“You…bastard,” she hissed. “Stefan will see you hanged.”
“He will have to catch us first. My yacht is waiting to take us far away from England.”
Without warning, Lady Aberlane appeared in the doorway of the carriage, whacking Thomas on the top of his head with her cane.
“Take your hands off her, you fiend.”
“Enough!” Thomas growled, dragging Brianna toward his waiting coach. “We are leaving here.”
“No,” Brianna gasped. “Please…”
“Release her, Wade.”
The words came without warning, halting Thomas in his tracks and making Brianna’s knees weak with relief.
“Edmond,” she breathed, her eyes filling with tears as he stepped from the trees, the gun in his hand pointed directly at her captor.
Behind her, Thomas stiffened, his fingers tightening on her throat until black spots danced before her eyes. Brianna knew she would be unconscious in moments if Edmond did not do something.
“Stay back, or I swear I will kill her,” Thomas growled.
“The only one dying on this day is you, Wade.”
“Drop the gun, or I will break her neck.” Thomas shook Brianna with enough force to make her head snap back and forth. “Drop it.”
Edmond halted, his gaze narrowing with fury. Then he bent slowly downward to place his pistol on the dirt road.
Brianna could sense Thomas relaxing as the immediate threat was overcome, and he even loosened his grip enough that she could suck in a short, painful breath.
“That is better…”
His smug words were cut short as Edmond straightened with a fluid motion, his arm flicking forward as he hurled the hidden dagger through the air. There was a glint of steel flashing through the fog, and then the thin blade grazed past Brianna’s cheek.
The fingers briefly tightened on her neck before they fell away.
For a long moment, the world seemed to be frozen in time. She was aware of the cold breeze tugging on her wool cloak, the scent of damp leaves, the distant cry of a bird.
At last, it was Edmond who broke the nightmarish spell as he plucked his gun from the dirt and pointed it in the direction of Thomas’s stunned henchmen.
“Toss aside your weapons and move to your master,” he ordered.
Not surprisingly, the servants hastily scurried to obey the icy command. But Brianna was oblivious to their frantic efforts. Instead, she was numbly turning toward the man who lay sprawled on the ground.
Her stomach rolled as her gaze skimmed over the lifeless limbs sprawled at odd angles. A part of her warned to turn away, that whatever she might see would give her nightmares for years to come. But another part, the part that had endured months of terror beneath her stepfather’s roof, possessed a morbid need to know Thomas Wade’s ultimate fate.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she forced her reluctant gaze to lift ever higher. She caught a glimpse of a blood-drenched cravat and the hilt of a dagger sticking from Thomas’s thick neck, before she was yanked around and pressed against Edmond’s chest.
“No, Brianna,” he growled, his hand cupping the back of her head to hide her face in the hollow of his shoulder.
“Is he dead?”
“Get back in the carriage, ma souris,” he demanded, steering her across the road, keeping her face hidden in the folds of his coat.
“No, this is all because of me,” she protested. The sick sensation remained in the pit of her stomach, but the feel of Edmond’s warm, comforting arms was restoring her courage. “I will not leave you to deal with the…the…”
“Brianna.” Edmond interrupted her stumbling words as he came to a halt and pulled back, his fingers slipping beneath her chin to force her to meet his hard gaze.
“What?”
“That was not a request.” Before she could protest, Brianna was lifted off her feet and into the carriage next to Lady Aberlane. The door was slammed shut and Edmond was stepping back to address the shaken groom. “Take them directly back to Meadowland. Shoot anyone who tries to halt you. Do you understand?”
“Aye, sir.”
“Edmond…no.”
Brianna reached for the handle of the door, but her hands were trembling so badly she could not work it. Then it no longer mattered, as the carriage gave a violent lurch and they were out of the ditch and flying down the narrow road toward Meadowland.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
EDMOND WAS STANDING AT the window of his brother’s study when the sound of the door opening had him spinning about to regard Stefan with a lift of his brows.
“Well?”
“They both will survive, thank God, although it will be some time before James can resume his duties,” Stefan revealed, speaking of the two wounded footmen. Moving to the desk, Stefan took his seat and reached for his quill. “I must make a note to remember to see to his family. I believe he has a number of children.”
Edmond was far less concerned with the wounded footmen than with protecting the woman who had been so nearly stolen away from him. Brianna had endured enough. He would not have her become the subject of unpleasant rumors if it were discovered Thomas Wade had attempted to kidnap her.
“And the doctor?”
Stefan glanced up with a frown, his face pale. “What of him?”
“You told him our story?”
“He is convinced that my carriage came upon Thomas Wade, who was in the process of being held up by a gang of ruffians, and that the footmen were shot while attempting to run them off.”
Edmond nodded. The fabrication was not his best, but it was simple, and most importantly, impossible to disprove. Not unless one of the participants was stupid enough to speak out of turn.
“And you are certain that your servants will keep the truth to themselves?”
Stefan stiffened in offense at the question. “Of course. My servants are completely loyal. I am far more concerned with the bastards who worked for Wade.”
“They know better than to contradict what I have told them to say,” Edmond assured him, his lips twisting as he recalled the servants on their knees as they pleaded for mercy. He did not doubt that they were halfway to France by now. “They understand that I will not hesitate to kill them.”
“Nor I,” Stefan muttered, shoving himself to his feet as he paced the worn carpet. “Damnation. I will never forgive myself for allowing Brianna to be put in such danger.”
Edmond ignored his instinctive annoyance at Stefan’s possessive concern. He had no one to blame but himself for leaving Brianna in his brother’s care, a mistake he would not make again.
“Stefan, you could not have known that Thomas Wade was desperate enough to risk kidnapping Brianna in broad daylight.”
“But you did.”
“And I was still very nearly too late. I was a fool to ever allow her out of my sight.”
Stefan took a jerky step forward, his hands clenched at his sides. “What the devil are you saying?”
“I intend to take her back to London with me.”
“You must be jesting?”
Edmond folded his arms over his chest, his expression settling into lines of grim determination.
&nb
sp; “She needs my protection.”
“She would be no safer in London. In fact, your enemies pose a far greater danger than Thomas Wade.” Stefan narrowed his gaze. “Or have you forgotten she was shot while in your care?”
“Take care, Stefan.” Edmond’s voice was dangerously soft. He loved his brother more than anyone in the world, but Brianna would be leaving with him. By force if necessary. “Besides, we are not remaining in London. At least not for long. Viktor Kazakov is set to travel to Russia on Thursday, and I will be on the ship with him.”
“Good lord. Edmond, you cannot take Brianna to Russia.”
Edmond turned back toward the window, refusing to meet Stefan’s accusing gaze. A part of him understood the risk he was taking. Not only to Brianna, but to his duty to Alexander Pavlovich. It was the damn reason he had left her at Meadowland to begin with.
Now, however, he had no intention of listening to his common sense. The past three days had proven that not having Brianna within reach was far more a distraction than having her near. There was no way in hell he was leaving England without her.
“We will be in disguise while we travel,” he said, offhand. “No one will know her identity.”
“And once you reach St. Petersburg?”
“What do you mean?”
Stefan’s lips thinned. “Even presuming that you manage to arrive at the Winter Palace without being recognized, were you not the one to claim that the Russian Court is a treacherous pit of vipers who prey upon the weak and stupid? Will you toss Brianna into such a dangerous cesspit?”
“I have no intention of introducing Brianna to the Court.”
“No? Do you intend to keep her locked away in your chambers? Hidden even from the Czar?”
Edmond glared at the dark garden below. “Such matters can be decided once we reach the Winter Palace.”
“For God’s sake, Edmond, you have devoted years to earning a place as Alexander Pavlovich’s most trusted advisor. Are you truly willing to risk it all because of some strange obsession with a woman?”
“My decision is made, Stefan.”
“An utterly irresponsible decision.” Stefan’s words echoed his own dark thoughts. “You cannot haul an innocent maiden about as if she were a piece of luggage. At best, her reputation will be in tatters, and at worst, she will be caught in the midst of a plot to overthrow the government.” Stepping directly behind Edmond, his brother grasped his shoulder in a tight grip. “This is not like you, Edmond.”
“Perhaps not, but I will not be swayed.”
There was a thick silence before Stefan dropped his hand and stepped back.
“And what of Brianna?”
“What of her?”
“What if she does not desire to be whisked off to Russia? She has just now become settled at Meadowland.”
“She will come.”
“Because you intend to force her?”
Turning on his heel, Edmond started toward the door. “Because she belongs to me.”
SHORTLY BEFORE SUNSET, Brianna once again found herself in one of Stefan’s elegant carriages. On this occasion, however, it was Edmond who was seated across from her, rather than Lady Aberlane, and they were rapidly headed toward London.
Somewhere deep inside, she knew she should be outraged by Edmond’s highhanded manner. For heaven’s sake, he had stormed into her bedchamber tossing about commands and standing over her as she packed her bags, as if she were a witless child.
It was not anger, however, that held her in the strange sense of numb acceptance as they rattled down the dirt road at a savage pace.
She had known that Edmond would return to her. And that when he did, she would willingly follow him wherever he might lead her.
The past three days had made her realize that she would never have peace until the passion that pulsed between them had burned itself to a cinder.
So long as she remembered that, she told herself, her time with Edmond was merely a temporary madness that would soon pass. Why battle the inevitable?
Seated across from her, Edmond slouched in his seat, his long legs stretched out and his arms folded across his chest as he watched her with a brooding gaze. Despite the chilled air he had discarded his greatcoat and hat, revealing the elegant hunter green jacket and striped waistcoat that molded to his body with unnerving precision.
“Do you intend to sulk the entire trip, ma souris?” he drawled, breaking the heavy silence that had filled the carriage.
She ignored his taunting words, instead turning her mind to the question that had haunted her since Edmond had stepped from the fog the very moment she needed him.
“How did you know that Thomas Wade was going to try to kidnap me?”
“I did not know precisely what he intended, but I was having him watched. When he left London, I followed.” His eyes smoldered with a lingering fury. “Unfortunately, I did not catch up to him until he had already attacked your carriage.”
She gave a slow nod. She should have known that Edmond would have Thomas Wade under surveillance. He was far more than a gentleman of leisure; he possessed a lethal awareness and skills that were usually only found among those men forced to live by their cunning.
“Do you truly think people will believe that Thomas was killed by highwaymen?”
“Who would doubt the word of the Duke of Huntley?”
Her lips twisted at the bland arrogance. “I suppose that is true enough.”
Despite their differences, the two brothers had been raised with the unwavering knowledge that they were lord and master of their very large corner of Surrey. It would never occur to them that they would be given anything but absolute obedience.
“You need never concern yourself about Thomas Wade again, Brianna.”
“I am glad he is dead.”
“It is no doubt a widely held opinion. From what I could discover, he cheated at business, at cards and upon his wife. There were also rumors that he routinely beat his mistresses. A thoroughly despicable man. I doubt there will be a soul who mourns his passing.”
“Certainly not me.” She grimaced. “I only wish…”
“You wish what?”
She forced herself to meet his searching gaze. “I wish that I had been the one to kill him.”
“So bloodthirsty, ma souris?”
“No. I dislike the knowledge that I was forced to depend upon you to ride to my rescue.”
“Ride to the rescue? Hmm.” A smile teased his full lips. “That sounds rather melodramatic. I do not believe anyone would confuse me with a heroic prince or you with a damsel in distress.”
She stiffened in annoyance, her pride pricked by his amusement. “Do not jest. I should be capable of taking care of myself.”
His amusement faded, his eyes narrowing at her sharp tone. “What is it that troubles you, Brianna? The fact that you had to be rescued or that I am the one who did it?”
“I want my independence. Is that so difficult to comprehend?”
“For a lady who desires her independence, you did a great deal of complaining when I refused to allow Janet to accompany us.”
“Janet is not only my maid, she is my dearest friend. I happen to enjoy her companionship.”
“A friend?”
“Yes.”
“So what am I? Friend or foe?”
Her teeth clenched. “Do you truly wish me to answer that question?”
Brianna forced herself not to flinch beneath his hard gaze. Not even when he smoothly leaned forward, his fingers capturing her chin in a firm grip.
“Why did you come with me?”
The abrupt question caught her off guard. “You commanded me to, did you not?”
“We both know that I could not have forced you. Had you truly protested, Stefan would have stepped in to keep you at Meadowland.”
Brianna readily latched on to his unwitting words. She had, after all, considered Stefan often while she had been packing her bags to return to London. She was not so fascinated by E
dmond that she would ignore the gentleman who had offered her nothing but kindness.
“And that is why I did not protest,” she said.
“What the devil is that supposed to mean?”
“Stefan is the one person in the entire world that I would never, ever willingly hurt.”
His fingers tightened on her chin. “And you think it did not hurt to have you leave him?”
“Not nearly so much as it would have if I had stayed. I…I cannot give him what he desires from me, and it is unfair to allow him hope that I will eventually change my mind.”
A dangerous satisfaction smoldered in his eyes. “So you do not intend to become the next Duchess of Huntley?”
“No.” She did not have to feign her regret. Only a fool would not realize her life would be far simpler with Stefan as her husband. “Someday, Stefan will meet a woman who will make him realize that what he feels for me is nothing more than friendship and a measure of guilt for leaving me in the hands of Thomas Wade. I could never have made him truly happy.”
“Of course you could not have.” His fingers eased their punishing grip to stroke the line of her jaw. “You were never meant for the dreary life of bucolic bliss. You possess the spirit of a true adventuress.”
“I most certainly do not!”
Her rebuff did nothing more than stir his predatory nature, and with a smooth motion, he was settled on the seat next to her with his arms wrapped firmly about her waist.
“No?” He brazenly stroked his lips over the lingering scar on her temple. “What other woman would have possessed the daring to sneak into a Courtesan’s Ball and blackmail one of the most feared gentlemen in all of London?”
Without thought, her hands lifted to clutch at the lapels of his jacket. Her entire body was stirring to exquisite life at his touch.
“It was not daring, it was desperation.”
He chuckled as his mouth shifted to explore the sensitive pulse just below her ear.
“Why will you not admit that you have a taste for excitement?”
She hissed softly as a jolt of pleasure nearly sent her tumbling off her seat. It would be so easy to drown in the sensations that were flooding through her.
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