Invitation to Scandal

by Bronwen Evans

  He started to rise, but Rheda grasped his arm, detaining him. “Would your father have wanted you to fritter away your life on this pointless quest? Revealing the truth won’t change anything. Whatever you uncover, your father will still be dead.”

  “But my family will be free,” he growled. “Not everyone is content to live in the backwater of Kent. My mother’s life was taken from her. She was shunned by many whom she called friends, and she lives her life too ashamed to show her face in Society, the only world she had ever known. Now Madeline, my younger sister, is due for her come-out. What sort of husband will she find with a traitorous father? It is not always about oneself, Rheda. I have responsibilities. Others to take care of.”

  Rheda hung her head in shame. “I’m sorry. You’ve uncovered my worst sin—selfishness.” A surge of anger shot through her. Anger at herself. She picked up a stick and threw it in the sea. “It’s entirely my fault. All of this,” she said softly. She looked at him and pleaded, “I’m sorry.”

  “Why didn’t you simply tell me the truth, Rhe?” He looked at her, his eyes reflecting openness instead of his normal distrust.

  She knew he meant about the barrel. “At first it was because I couldn’t take the risk. You might have arrested me, and the further shame would taint Daniel. Then it was because your arrogance annoyed me—”

  “You mean if I’d asked you nicely you’d have told me?”

  She smiled. “Maybe.” She gave a small chuckle. “No, that’s a lie. I didn’t want to tell you because”—she took a deep breath—“I knew you’d despise me once you knew I was Dark Shadow.”

  His eyebrow rose, and he cupped her chin in his hands so that she had no choice but to look at him. His eyes probed the secrets hidden within her. Finally he asked, “Why was that important to you?”

  She tried to pull away. She didn’t want to face the answer to his question. His very nearness sent a shiver through her.

  “Tell me,” he insisted.

  “I—that is—I was attracted to you. I’m sure most women are,” she added hurriedly.

  “Attracted?” He gave one of his bone-melting smiles. “Is that all it was—attraction? You promised no more lies.”

  She pushed at the hand holding her chin. “All right, damn you. I have feelings for you, even though I tried desperately not to.”

  He believed her. Her face flushed with color, and she squirmed in embarrassment. She wasn’t telling him this to mollify him. She already knew he’d protect her, he’d offered her his hand in marriage. She would be safe.

  “Then why did I find you crying?” Women. He’d never understand them.

  “Because I can’t marry you,” she said on a heavy sigh. “For all the reasons you mentioned. The scandal surrounding me, the sacrifices you have made for your ...” She rose to her feet, and he followed. He stood behind her as she looked out over the sea. Finally, she turned to face him. “I think I have a way out for you.”

  He was intrigued. “A way out? Perhaps I don’t want a way out.”

  Her pretty eyes filled with unshed tears. “I am trying to be noble. To do the right thing. To be selfless.”

  “Which is?”

  “Christopher has offered for me. He has always wanted me. I could—”

  He grasped her arms in a biting grip. Fury like nothing he’d ever known swept through him. She was his. “No. You will not marry another.” She gasped, her face a mask of shock. “You’re mine.” And with those words he pulled her hard against him and took her lips in a kiss he hoped would drive the thought of any other man from her mind.

  Rheda stiffened until suddenly she softened against him and they were kissing with frantic intensity, as if the truthful conversation just witnessed wiped the past week’s battle of wills clean.

  His hands slid up her back to twist in her hair, while her arms wrapped around his neck in a tight embrace. She clung to him. Their tongues mated in a fever of need, and she was making hoarse sounds of pleasure.

  In a blinding flash, he realized this woman was perfect for him. He would never be satisfied with pious and dull. He wanted a woman with wild, uncontrollable passions.

  Her confession about her feelings for him made him hope for more. If it was possible, they would have a marriage with mutual affection, if not love ...

  As the kiss grew more feverish, Rufus’s restraint shredded. While keeping his lips locked to her, he shrugged out of his coat. Picking her up in his arms, he made to lay her on the garment, when something near the rocks on the left of the cove caught his eye. Someone was struggling in the water. He heard a small cry, and he set Rheda on her feet, ripped off his boots, and dove under the waves.

  In a few long strokes he reached a boy struggling in the water. It was Connor. “Okay. I’ve got you. Don’t panic. Put your arms around my neck. Not too tight or I won’t be able to breathe.”

  The lad did as he was told. Rufus could tell he was near complete panic. The boy was shivering so hard, Rufus could hear his teeth chattering.

  As Rufus waded in to shore the boy cried out, “Rhe,” and promptly burst into tears. Rheda held out her arms, and Rufus gently lowered the boy into them.

  “Connor. Hush now, you’re safe.” But the boy just kept sobbing, drenching her dress with tears.

  Rheda whispered, “I’ve no idea what he’s doing trying to swim around the point. The rips can be very dangerous. He knows better.”

  Rufus looked at the young boy shaking and crying in Rheda’s arms. “Something has frightened him. A near drowning maybe, but there was no rip and he was still swimming strongly when I reached him.”

  Rheda couldn’t take her eyes off Rufus as she held the sobbing boy in her arms. Her body flamed, very conscious that Rufus’s torso was still bare. She watched entranced as a trickle of water ran down the side of his neck, disappearing into the black hairs on his chest. She reached out and caught the next one with her fingertip. His chest muscles flexed under her touch.

  She jerked her hand away. Rufus remained crouched next to her. His eyes held hers, and she nearly forgot that she held Connor.

  She sat gently rocking him, and gradually his shaking subsided and his cries subsided into sniffles. “What happened, Connor? Why were you swimming around the point? You know it’s dangerous.”

  Connor pressed his cheek into her chest. “I had to get away from the man.”

  Rufus started at his words, and she noted his hands formed into fists so tight his knuckles turned white. “Did the man hurt you, Connor?” he asked gently.

  The boy shook his head and clung to Rheda even harder.

  Rufus cursed under his breath.

  “What man? Why would a man want to take you, Connor?” Connor did not answer her; he merely turned his face away and buried it in her dress.

  “There have been several young boys who have gone missing or turned up dead over the last twelve months,” Rufus said. “My good friend, Lord Alexander Montford, asked me to investigate while I am in Deal.”

  Something in his grim tone alerted her to the fact that she would not like the answer to her next question. “Why would a man want to take young boys ... ?” Her words petered out when Rufus raised his eyebrow and shook his head. She gasped. Her father’s lifestyle meant she’d been privy to an education in the seedier aspects of life. She hugged Connor tighter. “How many boys have gone missing ?” she asked, sick to her stomach.

  “Six—that we know of. The last one only a week ago.” Rufus gently pried the boy’s head out from between her breasts. “Connor, we want to stop this man. Can you tell me who he is?”

  Connor shook his head, his eyes wide with fear. “He wore a black leather mask, but he had a French accent.”

  Rheda and Rufus exchanged glances, horror and hope lighting their eyes. The spy.

  Rufus’s voice held a more urgent note. “Where did he take you, Connor?”

  Connor hiccupped. “He grabbed me at Jacob’s Point and dragged me back toward Dead Man’s Cove. I bit his hand and
managed to break free. Then I ran into Harding’s Wood. I lost him for a while, but when I emerged he found me again. So I dived into the sea and swam. I knew about this cove because I helped you and Mother ferry the goods ashore. All I had to do was make it to the caves, and I could make my way into the manor through the tunnels.”

  “Ah!” Rufus said. Rheda flushed with color. He knew her secret. He shook his head before standing and pulling on his shirt.

  “Can you get the boy up to the house and alert Stephen and the men? I’d use the tunnels just to be safe. I’m going to try and track him. It’s the best lead we’ve had so far. Tell Stephen to send some of the men to Harding’s Wood and the rest to follow the cliffs south of Jacob’s Point.”

  Rheda bit her lip. “Why don’t we all go up to the house and you can take the men with you?”

  “There’s not enough time. Connor’s abductor probably won’t search for him for too long, not wearing a mask. I have to go now.” He bent down and sweetly kissed her lips. “Tell Stephen to hurry.”

  Then he raced up the hidden path to the cliff tops. Rheda and Connor watched until he was gone. “Can you walk, Connor?”

  The boy rose to his feet but clung to her hand. Together they made their way across the warm sand to the boulders hiding the entrance to the cavern system that ran under Tumsbury Cliff Manor.

  Rheda tried to hurry, but Connor’s strength was waning. Then out of the shadows Daniel appeared. “Daniel! I’m so pleased to see you. Pick up Connor; we have to hurry.”

  “What’s happened?”

  “There is no time. I’ll have to explain when we get to the house.”

  Rheda paced the drawing room. Connor lay wrapped in blankets on the settee, being warmed by the fire. Penny had let him have a thimble of brandy in a warm cup of tea and fed him scones. He seemed to be recovering well from his ordeal. Jamieson had gone to fetch Connor’s mother and siblings.

  Rheda had wasted no time informing Stephen and Daniel what had occurred and where Rufus had gone. Stephen and his men left immediately to start the hunt. They had taken Daniel with them. Stephen had not wanted to let him out of his sight.

  “Stop pacing. You’ll wear the rugs out,” Penny scolded.

  She crossed to kneel at Connor’s side. “I just wish I could do more. Connor, can you remember anything else? Anything at all about the man that took you? Just close your eyes and try to recall ...” She reached out and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

  He grabbed her arm, his eyes opening wide. “His hand. When I bit him, I bit him really hard. He took his glove off to wipe the blood, and I saw it. He had a horrible growth on his hand—”

  “Do you mean a birthmark?” Rheda asked, waves of fear beginning to crash over her until she could barely swallow.

  “I don’t know. It was red and covered almost all of the back of his hand.”

  Rheda gasped and sank back onto the floor. Her hand hovered over her mouth. She felt like she was going to be sick. Under her breath she uttered, “Oh, God. What have I done?” Icy chills were not kept at bay by the log fire directly behind her. “I don’t believe it. It can’t be ...”

  Penny stopped buttering a scone and with her knife in hand asked, “What’s wrong?”

  She raised anguished eyes to Penny. “I know who took Connor.” Hurriedly she got to her feet. “He’s in trouble. I’ve told him everything. I have to warn him—”

  “Warn who?” Penny grabbed her by the arms. “Stop for a moment. You’re not making sense.”

  Ignoring Penny, Rheda said to Connor, urgency underpinning her words, “In what direction was the man taking you? It’s very important. Think hard. Lives are at risk ...”

  “Stop it, Rheda. You’re frightening the boy.”

  “Think, Connor. Please ...”

  He sat up and looked out the window toward the northern coastline. “We were heading toward Kingsgate Bay. I’m sure of it because I remember thinking that if I couldn’t escape before we left Harding’s Wood, I’d try and lose him in the caves just before Kingsgate.”

  Rheda took his head in her hands and planted a big kiss on his head. “Thank you.” She turned and raced for the door.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Penny asked, hands on hips.

  “I haven’t got time to explain. When Jamieson returns with Meg, tell him to get word to Stephen and his men. Lord Hale took Connor. I think he’s at the old ruins at the entrance to Kingsgate Bay.” And before Penny could stop her, Rheda raced for the stables. It took her longer to saddle White Lily than it should have because she fumbled in her haste. She took a deep breath to try to calm her nerves.

  Rufus was in terrible danger. Christopher would be expecting him. She’d told Rufus’s enemy everything. She needed to find one of Stephen’s men before it was too late.

  If Christopher captured Rufus ... She couldn’t bear to think about it. This was all her fault. With her heart pounding louder than White Lily’s hooves thumping on the ground, Rheda prayed she’d get to Rufus in time.

  Chapter 21

  Pain... .

  Pain everywhere.

  Now Rufus knew what it felt like to be stretched on the rack, waiting to be drawn and quartered. Every muscle in his body was on fire. The chains pulled taut; his joints screamed, wanting to pop from their sockets.

  He tried to raise his head, but each tiny movement caused nausea to erupt deep in his gut and he fought the urge to vomit.

  Rufus closed his eyes and stayed his head, trying to focus through the pain. His pride was in tatters at having let the enemy sneak up on him unawares and render him unconscious with one simple blow. He knew he’d been taken, but to where, and by whom?

  He forced his eyelids to lift and waited for the haze to clear. He kept his body still, hiding his return to consciousness from anyone who might happen to be in the room. Like a fox testing the poacher’s trap, he evaluated his position.

  He was chained in the middle of what looked like a dungeon. A well-fitted-out, comfortable dungeon. The slate stones beneath his feet were covered in Persian rugs. The wall to his right displayed an opulent wall hanging of Christ’s last supper; he hoped that wasn’t an omen. To his left stood a day couch covered with opulent fur throws.

  A fire crackled behind him. He knew because the flames flickered shadows across the wall in front of him, and he could feel its heat on his back.

  He looked down his body and his skin crawled.

  Christ, he was naked. He jerked on his chains, the metal manacles cutting into his skin. Stay calm. Fear is your enemy.

  He swallowed his terror and flexed his muscles, assessing the damage. He clenched and unclenched his fingers and rolled his shoulders. Nothing appeared to be broken. But his shoulder joints felt as if they were about to explode. His arms were spread above his head, extended and pulled tight, chained to the ceiling. His legs, too, were spread wide, and he was shackled to the floor by the ankles, suspended in the shape of a cross.

  If his enemy wanted him open and exposed, he’d succeeded.

  The room was quiet. Deathly quiet. Sensing he was in fact alone, Rufus gingerly lifted his head to survey his prison. With the ringing in his ears and the haze clouding his brain clearing, he began to notice more. The room smelled musky. The air clinging to the inside of his nose was salty and damp against his bare skin. They were near the sea. There were no windows in the room, even though it was luxuriously furnished. Lighted candles licked the cold stone walls, casting an eerie glow around the chamber.

  The owner of this place was obviously a wealthy man, and a man with perversions. His gaze landed on the grotesque stone statues positioned in each dank corner, and with frightening clarity Rufus understood who’d captured him. The man who “used” this room was an abuser of young boys. Connor’s kidnapper.

  The bile he’d been keeping at bay rose into his throat. Rufus was certain he’d been found by the man responsible for the disappearance of the boys.

  Fear grew to unimaginable proportions. He
yanked on the chains with all his strength. The chains did not break.

  His head drooped down to his chest once more, defeat a crushing weight. Without Rufus’s protection the degenerate responsible for Connor’s capture would go after the boy to silence him. His gut clenched in horror. That would lead him straight to Rheda.

  He raised his head. He would not give up. Never. He had to escape. To save Rheda and Connor. Rheda. Adrenaline surged; his mind blocked the pain. He looked up at the ceiling and began to pull his arms down as hard as possible. If he could just slip his hands out of the manacles ...

  Soon his arms shook from the strain, and blood dripped down his arms from where his skin had split against the iron bands.

  “I’d stop trying to get free. You’ll break your wrists, very painful, and you still won’t be able to escape.”

  Rufus’s head jerked to the right, and he swallowed in disgust. A man stepped through a stone door, closing it softly behind him. He wasn’t very tall. His head was sleeved in a black leather mask that had slits for his mouth, nose, and eyes. It tied at his neck.

  The hood didn’t frighten Rufus. More disturbing was the fact the enemy before him was naked below his mask. His lithe body was covered in oil and gleamed in the candlelight. As he moved closer, Rufus realized his body was devoid of any trace of hair. Not that he wanted to look, but he was agog, as there appeared to be a chain running from a ring in the man’s foreskin to his scrotum.

  Rufus could face many things. He could take a vicious beating, and had on many occasions. He had been whipped to within an inch of his life but ... but the thought of this “thing” touching him was a perversion he’d never had to face before. He hoped he had the strength to endure. The strength to escape.

  The hideous vision reached out and stroked Rufus’s chest. Rufus jerked back, his nausea returning in force.

  “My master was right. You are beautiful. Like a Greek god.” He began to walk around Rufus, lightly touching him. “I’m honored that my master has chosen me to prepare you.”