He slipped the flask from his pocket and took a hearty drag on the liquor. The burn in his throat brought his muscles to life and his mind into focus on the task at hand. Like a beast on the prowl he looked upon his unsuspecting prey.
She never once looked his way. Her eyes were only for the baron. Jasper’s blood boiled as his mind called out for her to feel his presence, to writhe with fear that he was near. She took no note. Instead, she continued to laugh and smile as if nothing were amiss. As if nothing ever had been, or would ever be again.
Her hair trailed down her back in the bland colored ringlets that he vaguely recalled. Except, the front portions were piled atop her head in a somewhat pleasing way, as if she had suddenly discovered the proper technique to play up her features.
Gone were the garish gowns and potent perfumes that she had brought by the trunkful. Even her voice sounded different when she passed by in her conversation with the baron. It was lower, sultry and appealing. Had she changed so much in so few weeks?
Another swig of liquid fire flowed from his mouth to his gut, emboldening his passions and inciting his anger.
“Oh, Prudence,” he muttered to himself. “How far you shall fall.”
The music came to an end. He watched as the couple lingered at the center of the floor for a moment too long, as if they did not wish to part. It was shameless, really. How dare she entertain the attentions of another man when she belonged to him? A lesser man, at that. Why choose a baron when you could have an earl?
Lady Prudence appeared flushed as she thanked the gentleman for the dance with a nod and a slight curtsy. He looked as if he were about to speak when she turned upon her heel and raced from the room. Lord Halthaven might have followed after her if he had not been waylaid by a guest who maneuvered him into the next dance with her pockmarked daughter.
Jasper could not help but laugh as he slunk after his wife and left another gentleman to partner the wretch. Even Prudence was better than that thing.
He stepped out into the main hall just in time to see a flash of Prudence’s gown slip out between a pair of large glass doors that led onto the veranda. He peeked up at the rail of the stair to see if the little pair of eyes followed his movements but all that remained to be seen was the tail of a plait that had fallen through the bars. The child must have drifted off to sleep. All the better, Jasper thought. There would be none to witness his approach upon his unsuspecting wife.
She had made her way to the edge of the veranda and was looking out upon the grounds as the moon shone through a misty fog. Lord Fondleton kept to the shadows as he plotted his reveal. He took his time, measuring each step so that no sound fell in the quiet of the night.
It was a painstaking process but he did not wish her to know of his presence until it was too late and he was upon her. Each patient step brought him nearer to his prize. He could not help but thrill at the prospect of her fear, her agony as he shattered this dream world that she had created.
Then, from a second pair of doors between them, a figure stepped out into the darkness and approached the traitorous woman. Jasper slipped behind a potted palm and crouched low so as not to be seen. He was not near enough to hear their words, but he could see all that occurred by the light of the moon. Again, he suppressed a bestial snarl.
14
Lady Prudence stood at the rail and looked down upon the well-manicured grass. A ghostly layer of fog was beginning to brew. Rather than cause her to shiver, however, she found it quite beautiful as it moved between the trees and over the rolling hills.
“Prudence?” A voice at her side asked with concern. “What are you doing out here? You’ll catch your death.”
“Hello, George. I only wished for some fresh air,” she replied to Lord Halthaven as he stepped out onto the veranda.
“Have you found it?” he asked with a laugh.
“Crisper air there has never been,” she confirmed. He offered her a shawl that he had grabbed from the rack in the study as he had passed through. She allowed him to drape it over her shoulders though she was quick to pull away.
“You oughtn’t to be out here alone.”
“I know that,” she said with a sigh. “I only wanted a moment.”
“I apologize,” he bowed his head with sincerity, “I did not mean to intrude. It was only… when you raced away…” He shook his head as if unsure how to complete the thought.
Lady Prudence took a deep breath and released it slowly. The action did little to calm her racing nerves.
“I…” she too seemed to have tied her tongue. “I leave in the morning,” she offered as a lame sort of excuse.
“I know,” he murmured. “I wish it were not so.”
“Don’t say such things,” Lady Prudence cried.
“Why not? Would you rather I pretend otherwise?”
“I do not know,” she shook her head. She was flustered and nervous. She wanted him to leave so that she might feel less of an ache in her heart and yet she worried that if he did it would grow worse still.
“Halthaven Manor has been brighter for your presence,” he argued. “I’ve never been happier than when I am with you.”
“It cannot be…” she said in a whisper as she turned away. A soft hand upon her chin brought her back to look upon the warmth of his features. That gentle gesture, more than anything caused the crack in her heart to deepen.
“What cannot be?” he asked. His breath was warm, his mouth a mere inch from her own trembling lips.
“This…” she sighed. Even to her own ears she could hear the longing that betrayed her denial.
Against her will, her eyes fluttered closed. If he would kiss her she would be powerless to stop it. If she were being truthful, she wanted him to. She wanted to know what it was like to be kissed with gentle love just once.
Rather than the pressure of his lips, she felt his forehead come to rest against her own. His breath shook with the frustration of restraint.
“Stay.”
His words were neither command, nor question. She could feel the yearning of his heart and she wished more than anything that she could lean into it and accept. How cruel a world this must be to find such a love and not be able to accept it. To be forbidden to accept it.
“I cannot.” Her words hitched in her throat. A tear rolled down her cheek and Lord Halthaven brushed it away before it could fall from the proud line of her chin.
“I can protect you,” he promised. “I would do anything to protect you.”
“I know that,” she cried. “I believe that with all of my heart.”
“Then what is it?” he asked.
The words of the Mother Abbess swirled through her mind, warning against revealing any detail of her former life, particularly anything pertaining to the Earl of Fondleton. She dared not put Lord Halthaven at risk with knowledge that should be protected at all costs. It was not his burden to bear.
Lady Prudence reached her hand up and cupped the cheek of the man that she loved. How was she to push him away without destroying both of their hearts?
“You are too kind,” she whispered. “If there were another way… but there is not,” she shook her head. His hand atop her own and his thumb stroked a soothing pattern against her skin. The sensation sent a tingle of pleasure through her body. Again, she considered turning her mouth up to press her lips against his.
“I love you,” he replied.
At first she thought that she had misheard him. When she looked up into his eyes she knew that her ears had not failed her. He loved her! Oh, how she wished to throw herself into his arms and accept his affection. She loved him too. She wanted to say the words but they stuck in her throat. The image of Jasper crossed her mind and a wave of fear and disgust overtook her. The moment was shattered by the memory of truth. This love, this life, could never be.
“Let us not make things more complicated than they already are,” she said with a groan of agony. Still, she leaned into his frame, allowing him to wrap his arms around
her waist and provide the comfort that she so desperately needed. Never before had she been held such by a gentleman. She closed her eyes and settled her cheek to his shoulder.
“Why must it be complicated?” he said with a laugh of frustration. “This all seems so simple and right.”
She nodded against him. She could feel the warmth of his skin through the silk of his waistcoat, smell the scent of him and hear the beat of his heart in her ear.
A flash of movement in the shadows at the far end of the veranda caught her attention. By the time she turned to look more fully, the figure was out of sight. She might have imagined it. Her mind seemed determined to play all sorts of tricks on her nowadays.
“I thought…” she raised her head and looked into the distance. “I thought I saw something.” She shook her head. “It was just a trick of the light.”
“Let me ease your worries,” he braced his hands upon her shoulders and allowed his fingers to trail down her arms until their hands folded together. “Allow me to carry your burdens.”
He could sense her unease and she wanted nothing more than to lay her troubles at his feet. It was unfair of her to wish such things, when there was naught that could be done to free her from her lifelong commitment. One might turn heads with the suggestion of an annulment, but never would such a prospect be permitted in her case. Jasper, for certain, would never agree.
“I love you,” he repeated. This time, he ensured that she was looking full into his eyes when he spoke the words, so that there could be no doubt.
“I love you too,” she gasped and the tears began to flow freely. “But it cannot be.”
“Why?” he demanded. She could see the hopeless frustration upon his features as he fought a battle against some invisible barrier.
“Please,” she begged. “You must understand. I cannot…”
George feathered his fingers through the curls of her lengthy hair until her sobbing subsided. He said not another word, knowing that it would only cause her more distress. Instead, he held her in his arms as they both pondered their impending farewell.
“I should retire. The hour is late.” She shifted as if to pull away but it was a halfhearted effort as her hands still clung to his lapel.
“I’d rather savor our last moments, if I must watch you leave,” he offered a shy smile. The music could still be heard from the distant ballroom where his guests were being neglected. Neither cared. Soon enough the ballroom would empty and the manor would feel as empty as Lady Prudence’s aching heart.
“No,” she argued. “It would be best if we say no more. Then we shall have nothing to look back upon… and wonder.”
“You lie to yourself,” he laughed. “We shall always wonder either way.” He was so close, his breath upon her cheek. She could not deny the truth of his words. She could not even think. His nearness was robbing her of her wits.
“I would rather know, than wonder,” he said. With that he kissed her with a gentle passion that pooled through her body like a hot tea on a cold day.
She could not even feign resistance. Lady Prudence gave in at once and threw her arms about his neck as she clung to him in an attempt to control the trembling of her body. She opened her mouth to him and allowed the kiss to deepen. It was unlike anything that she had ever experienced. They kissed with the urgency that could only come from the knowledge that, come the morrow, they would part forever.
With that thought, she clung to him, as if she would never let go. Though she knew it was wrong, Lady Prudence threw herself into the moment. If she could shower Lord Halthaven with her love for just this one moment, then she wanted there to be no doubt as to the depth of her feeling. For just this moment she could imagine she was his.
The sound of a whip cracking and a carriage taking off toward the wood brought them to their senses. In the distance they could see a covered carriage rolling away at a leisurely pace. Guests were beginning to leave and, though they had not been happened upon, it was only a matter of moments before someone would come looking.
They could not risk being discovered. People could not scrutinize her alias too closely. She could not bring such censure down upon George, not with all he had done for her. She let her fingers caress his cheek as if she could remember every curve of it, the high cheekbones and his full lips. She let her hand drop to her side. Lady Prudence took a step back and dipped into a low, shaking curtsy, at last taking her eyes from his.
“Good evening, My lord,” she stammered.
Before Lord Halthaven could reach out to stop her, she turned upon her heel and raced toward the hall from whence she had come. Just as she rounded the corner, Mr. Perkins stepped into the hall. He had been searching for his master in the ballroom and come up empty handed.
“Miss Riverford!” he said with surprise. “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Not at all,” she pressed her hands to her flushed cheeks. “I was only looking for Marietta,” she lied.
“Mrs. Perkins tucked her in not a quarter hour passed,” he said with a nod. “She fell asleep at the top of the stair and would have awoken with an awful crick in her neck had she not been moved.”
“Right then,” Lady Prudence blew out a breath and hurried past him. “Off to bed for me as well. Goodnight Mr. Perkins.”
“Goodnight, Miss Riverford,” he replied.
With that she rushed up the stairs before the butler could say another word. She hoped that Lord Halthaven had returned to the ballroom through his study so that their might be no suspicion of them having been together. He was too careful to risk a rumor to her name so she refused to allow herself to dwell upon it.
Her mind was too full of the memory of their embrace to think of much else. She let her fingers trace her lips, thinking of his kiss. She could still feel the heat of his hands upon her arms. She knew that she had a long, sleepless night ahead of her. If she could drift off, her dreams would be filled with the promise of love that would never come to pass. A pleasure and a nightmare all at once.
She locked the door to her chamber and without calling a maid to undress she slipped beneath the covers to cry herself dry. What a cruel, cruel world it had turned out to be, she thought. But she had always known the world was cruel. She had only escaped it these past few months.
15
A soft knock on her door woke Lady Prudence from her slumber. She rolled from the coverlet which had entangled her like some clinging octopus in the long hours of the night. Her hair was awry and her gown mused but she opened the door a crack to reveal the tired face of Mrs. Perkins.
“A letter for you, Miss,” she said with a yawn. “It just arrived by special courier.”
The folded envelope was slipped through the door as the housekeeper straightened her cap and slipped back off to her room.
Lady Prudence turned the mail in her hand to discover the wax seal which caused her heart to thump as if it were to escape from the confines of her breast. The Fondleton crest stared back at her, emblazoned in red.
She gasped and dropped the letter, her hand covering the scream that threatened to escape her lips.
He had found her.
With trembling fingers she bent to pick up the letter. She peeled it open with care, fearful that it might somehow cause her harm in doing so. That was ridiculous, she thought. Of course it was only a letter. Yet, it felt like a snake poised for the strike. Venom dripping from its contents.
The truth was not far off. Lord Fondleton’s correspondence dealt nothing less than a fatal blow to his wife’s heart.
Marietta had been taken.
The demand was that Lady Prudence appear for her exchange in person, alone. Only then would the girl remain unharmed, and untouched.
She cursed the rogue and his terrible plots. Of course he would think this was some sort of game. How many hours had the frightened girl been wracked with worry and fear for her own life.
The letter gave express instructions that she arrive alone and that it must be clear t
hat no alert had been given to any in the household. She knew not how he would monitor that detail but she had no doubt that he was more than capable of setting some paid crony to watch the manor.
Lady Prudence cursed herself that she had not checked on the child before she retired to her own rooms. She had been too distraught over her impending departure as well as her romantic encounter with Lord Halthaven. Her departure would have to wait, she thought. It would be impossible for her to leave knowing that the child was in danger in her stead. If any harm came to Marietta she would never forgive herself. She was sure that Jasper was counting on that resolve to stay her lips. She had sworn to protect the girl and now because of Prudence she was in danger, within the clutches of her vile husband.
Prudence would adhere to his demands, with one exception. She would leave a letter for Lord Halthaven that explained that Marietta was missing and that she had gone to her retrieval. No more, no less. Then, when the gentleman woke, he might look for the girl if, for any reason, Lady Prudence was unsuccessful in her attempt.
She packed her small carpet bag and made for the door. Only afterward did it occur to her that the small, fragile Posey, who had already once escaped the wrath of Lord Fondleton, had been in Marietta’s room last night as well. She slipped down the hall to the girl’s room, where her disappearance had yet to be noticed.
Lady Prudence wished that she could wake the entire house but she knew her husband well enough to take his word to heart. If he suspected that an alarm had been raised he would harm the girl without hesitation. She knew better than any what he was capable of.
A scuffling sound came from beneath the bed as soon as she stepped into the room. Posey bounded out from under the ruffled bed skirt. The poor creature hopped upon three legs, holding one injured paw in the air as she went.
Lady Prudence cursed Lord Fondleton under her breath and scooped the dog into her arms. Posey whimpered and licked her wound. The rascal must have kicked her or some other such atrocity, Lady Prudence determined with a scowl. She soothed the animal and then settled her upon a blanket on the floor, so that she might not injure herself further by leaping from the bed. Someone would come for the pup, she thought. It would not do for Lady Prudence to bring the dog with her. Far be it from Jasper Numbton to preserve the life of an innocent animal.
The Countess and The Baron: Lady Prudence Baggington (The Nettlefold Chronicles Book 3) Page 11
