“I know,” Madeline murmured. “I asked the innkeep to inform me when Gerard arrives.”
“And you trust him to oblige?”
Unwillingly, she glanced over her shoulder at Rayne. “I paid him a generous sum.”
“Yet he may double-cross you and warn Gerard.”
Rayne abruptly stood and went to the door.
“Where are you going?” she was startled into asking.
“To have a word with John James. He can keep watch on the innkeep so we will know at once when your brother approaches him.”
With that, Rayne let himself from the room.
Madeline felt a hopeless laugh well up inside her. Rayne was completely taking charge as usual. He was a warrior, a modern-day white knight. Even if he thought her guilty of treachery and betrayal, he would try to protect her from harm, and perhaps her brother as well. Yet she couldn’t help the bleak sensation of despair spreading through her chest.
Letting her head drop, Madeline wrapped her arms around herself, fighting desolation. Her body was trembling with emotion while helpless tears seeped from the corners of her eyes.
How could Rayne possibly ever come to love her if he mistrusted her so profoundly? If he thought she might be guilty of thievery and even infidelity? If his suspicions ran so deep that he had set his spies to watch her every move?
She had scant hope of winning his love if he trusted her so little.
Yet she had only herself to blame, Madeline thought, struggling against a sob. She had been seduced by her own fantasies, the ones deep in her heart.
Weakly, she let the tears fall during the interval Rayne was away. As soon as she heard footsteps in the corridor, though, she dabbed at her wet eyes and cheeks. She hated crying in front of him. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, let him know her heart was breaking.
Thankfully, she was almost able to regain a semblance of control by the time Rayne entered. She was surprised, however, when the innkeep’s wife bustled in behind him, bearing a tray laden with ale and meats and cheeses.
“I ordered a meal,” Rayne said in explanation.
With a cautious smile at Madeline, Mrs. Pilling deposited the tray on the table, then curtsied and left. When they were alone again, Rayne held out a chair at the table for her.
“Come, sit down,” he ordered.
She risked a direct glance at him. His eyes had lost that fierce, hot intensity and instead merely looked moody and dark.
“You should eat something,” he urged.
“I am not hungry.”
He hesitated, looking as if he would press her, but then he murmured, “Very well,” before settling at the table and helping his own plate. He had also found some newspapers from somewhere, Madeline realized when he opened the pages and began to read. No doubt he had long experience waiting for his operations to result in some sort of action.
She couldn’t eat a bite, though, not when she felt cold and hot and sick to her stomach. In addition to her despair over Rayne, she was half out of her mind with worry for Gerard.
Mentally, Madeline shook her head. She was admittedly resentful that Rayne appeared so calm, but then he was no ordinary man. With his vast experience in intelligence, he was likely inured to danger, impervious to fear. The baron’s henchmen would not frighten him—
She froze as she suddenly had a horrifying thought. “What if Ackerby’s ruffians have already found Gerard?” she asked in alarm.
“It’s possible,” Rayne said, looking up. “If your brother doesn’t arrive by two, we will search the area until we find him.” His gaze sharpened again. “But you will let me deal with Ackerby’s thugs, Madeline. I’ve had a great deal more experience with their sort than you have.”
Madeline remained silent. Rayne was treating her like a fragile flower again, and yet she didn’t intend to object. In this instance he was right; she was far out of her depth. Indeed, she was actually relieved he was there to help her face this crisis. Even if his lack of trust made her heart ache, she was glad not to be alone.
Still, she couldn’t help remembering two nights ago when there had at least been a pretense of passion between them. This heavy, tense silence was even worse than his detachment had been.
Feeling her despairing ache intensify, she turned back to the window to watch and wait.
By her calculation, it was a full, interminable hour later before anything happened. In the interval, Madeline saw a great deal of activity in the inn yard below, but as Rayne had predicted, there was no sign of her brother.
Her first indication that something was wrong came when Rayne threw down his newspaper. As he surged to his feet and sprang for the door, Madeline heard shouts coming vaguely from somewhere in the inn.
The commotion grew louder when Rayne flung open the door.
“Stay here!” he threw over his shoulder before sprinting from the room.
It sounded very much as if a fight was ensuing on the floor below, Madeline realized, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest. Quickly snatching up her reticule, she fumbled inside for her pistol as she disobeyed Rayne’s order and ran after him.
He had already reached the bottom of the staircase by the time she came to the head. Madeline’s heart leapt to her throat and lodged there as she took stock of the struggle in the entrance hall. Three rough-looking men were conducting a savage assault on her brother and James.
One had Gerard pinioned by the throat while attempting to drag him out the front door. Across the way, James was struggling valiantly to keep the other two brutes at bay with his fists. The innkeep, however, was standing by, watching impotently, while a small crowd of customers had gathered to gawk in the open tavern door.
Just as James was felled hard to the floor, Rayne gave a shout and plunged into the fray, blows flying.
Gerard must have sneaked in another entrance, Madeline concluded, and so had the louts attacking him. Thank God, James had been watching for him, or they might have succeeded in seizing her brother and hauling him off.
As it was now, James was knocked out cold and Rayne had his hands full dealing with the two thugs, so there was no one to help Gerard. Outweighed by several stone, he was struggling futilely against the bruiser’s choking grip.
Madeline couldn’t shoot for fear of hitting Gerard, so she did the only thing she could think of. She scrambled down the stairs and flung herself at his attacker, pounding the brute’s shoulder and head with one fist and kicking his brawny legs with both her feet.
The man was so startled, he almost released his hold, but he abruptly recovered and began fending off her blows with a meaty fist. One swing contacted her right cheek, making her see stars as she stumbled backward.
Madeline gave a cry of pain but surged forward again at Gerard’s assailant, more determined than ever. She had no notion of time, merely the panicked, fiercely protective instinct to save her brother from harm, yet at least several moments passed before adamant hands gripped her and pulled her away.
Madeline gave another cry, this one of protest, as she felt her pistol being usurped from her grasp. The next instant Rayne was standing protectively in front of her, holding the gun’s muzzle to the brute’s temple, saying in a lethal voice, “If you are fond of living, you will release him.”
The ruffian froze at the threat, then quickly freed his captive and held up his hands.
Madeline also halted at the sight of her armed husband looking so deadly dangerous. Rayne had laid the other two assailants out on the floor, she saw, while Gerard had dropped to his knees and was doubled over at the waist, holding his throat and hacking as he gasped for breath.
Panting hard herself, Madeline sank down beside her brother. Rage and fear were flaring wildly through her blood, but relief was beginning to hold sway.
“Dear God, Gerard,” she implored, placing a careful hand on his shoulder, “are you all right?”
In addition to a reddening throat, his nose was dripping blood and his damaged left eye had begun to swell. Despite
his injuries, though, her brother nodded unsteadily and croaked, “I will be … in a moment….”
Gerard coughed again, then peered up at Rayne. “I say …” he rasped, “that was a smashing right … you gave that blighter. You must have … sparred at Gentleman Jackson’s club.”
Madeline felt a twinge of exasperation. It was just like her brother to ignore a brush with death in favor of admiring the skilled fighting form Rayne had displayed in demolishing his opponents.
“You must be Haviland,” Gerard added in a hoarse voice. “Thank you—you came at a very good time.”
“Don’t thank me, thank your sister,” Rayne replied grimly.
Gerard threw Madeline a feeble grin. “Thank you, dearest sister. You have my utmost gratitude.”
Rayne, on the other hand, cast a dark glance down at her. “I believe I told you to remain upstairs.”
She didn’t dignify his criticism with a response. He should have known that iron chains could not have kept her away when Gerard’s life was in danger.
As she helped her brother to stand, though, Rayne’s gaze fixed on her face, on the ripening bruise on her cheek.
“This bastard struck you,” he muttered as his free hand reached out to gently touch her cheek.
Rayne’s face was so dark with anger that Madeline flinched and drew back from him. “It doesn’t signify. Gerard is safe and that is all that matters.”
At her faint recoil, a different emotion flickered in Rayne’s blue eyes, something much like remorse. Dragging his gaze back to the miscreant, he tightened his grip on the pistol and pressed the muzzle harder against the man’s skull.
“Who sent you to apprehend Ellis?” he demanded in that same quietly lethal tone.
“’is lordship … Baron H’ackerby,” the fellow answered quickly, obviously not wanting to tangle with so formidable a nobleman.
Just then John James came awake with a groan. When the erstwhile footman abruptly pushed himself up on his elbow, prepared to rejoin the fight that had already ended, the innkeep at last involved himself in the contretemps and hurried over to help James to his feet.
Upon noting the gawking crowd gathered at the tavern door, Rayne brusquely told them to go about their business, then sent the innkeep a glance. “Have you a room where you can hold these louts, Mr. Pilling?”
“Aye, m’lord,” Pilling said, pointing at a doorway behind the high counter where the inn ledger lay. “Beyond my office is a storeroom with a sturdy lock.”
“Good. I will want to speak to them in a moment, before they are taken to the roundhouse to be charged with assault.”
He handed Madeline’s pistol to James, who promptly assumed custody of the one conscious prisoner. Then Rayne gestured at the two unconscious thugs before addressing the proprietor.
“Take care of those other two, if you please,” he directed Pilling. “I suggest you bind them securely. And fetch damp cloths for her ladyship and her brother as soon as you are done.”
“Certainly, m’lord, right away.”
“Meanwhile, I intend to commandeer your office for a short time, unless you object?”
“No, no, m’lord, no objection a’tall. Whatever you wish.”
Rayne lent a shoulder to the injured Gerard and helped him limp behind the counter and into the inn’s small office. Madeline followed reluctantly, aware that Rayne wanted privacy in order to question her brother about his alleged criminal activities.
There was only one chair behind the desk, and Gerard sank into it gratefully before accepting Rayne’s handkerchief to stanch his nosebleed.
Rayne, however, gave him no time to relax. “I suggest you start explaining, Ellis,” he commanded the moment Madeline had shut the door behind them.
“Explain?” the younger man hedged.
When a muscle in Rayne’s jaw hardened, Madeline quickly broke in. “He already knows everything, Gerard, so you may as well be completely honest.”
Rayne’s glance connected with hers briefly before he returned his piercing attention to her brother. “I have heard your sister’s version of the tale. Now I want to hear yours.”
Gerard eyed Rayne cautiously, as if determining how much he could leave out. He must have concluded that prevaricating would be perilous to his welfare, for he grudgingly launched into a narrative that confirmed Madeline’s entire story, acknowledging his theft of the priceless necklace and the subsequent events that had led to his being assaulted by three of Ackerby’s henchmen.
When he concluded, Madeline couldn’t help voicing her distress. “Gerard, how could you steal like that?” she murmured in dismay.
Shifting his glance to her, Gerard hardened his jaw. “If you mean to read me a lecture, Maddie, you needn’t bother. I would do it all over again.”
“But the necklace does not belong to you.”
“No, the Vicomte and Vicomtesse de Vasse are the rightful owners,” he said fiercely. “There is a miniature of Madame la Vicomtesse wearing the necklace for her betrothal portrait. It was her prize possession, and she intended for her daughter to inherit it one day. Moreover, I only took the necklace, not any of the other jewels that were stolen from them.”
“What other jewels?” Rayne interjected.
“The vicomte owned an invaluable collection of family heirlooms. The third baron—the current Lord Ackerby’s father—stole it all.”
“That is a serious accusation, Ellis,” Rayne observed.
“Yes, but it is true,” Gerard insisted. “Like many other aristos, the de Vasses were forced to pay exorbitant sums to be smuggled out of France at the height of the Revolution, but they still had a fortune in jewels remaining when they arrived in England. Shortly after they settled in Chelmsford, their home was robbed and all the jewels disappeared. Then several years later the collection resurfaced in the possession of Ackerby’s father. It could never be proved that he orchestrated the theft, but he clearly obtained the jewels through illicit means and profited immeasurably from the crime. When confronted by the de Vasses, though, the baron refused to honor their claim and merely chided them for leaving their valuables unattended.”
“That still does not entitle you to take the necklace,” Madeline said tersely.
“I was only standing up for justice, Maddie,” Gerard argued. “With Maman’s history, you know all too well about the plight of the émigrés. Those who were not guillotined by the revolutionary government or murdered by the rabble were left homeless and penniless, including Lynette’s parents. After watching most of their family and friends beheaded and losing nearly everything they possessed, they came to England in hopes of beginning a new life—only to have their future shattered when their sole means of support was stolen from them. It’s not right that Ackerby should be allowed to keep their only legacy.”
“So you decided to rectify matters by taking the law into your own hands?” Madeline demanded. “By stealing from the late baron’s son? How can you justify such self-serving logic? Even if his father was guilty as you say, this Lord Ackerby had nothing to do with a crime that happened many years ago.”
Gerard scowled. “I cannot believe you are taking Ackerby’s side!”
“I am not! I only want to keep you out of prison, or worse.”
Her brother’s features lost some of their fierce belligerence. “It is not merely that I want to inveigle my way into the good graces of my new bride’s parents, Maddie. It is that I can’t bear seeing Lynette so desolate. She has cried herself to sleep every night since we eloped, knowing she is estranged from her family. Whatever love she has for me will swiftly die if I cannot win their forgiveness and reunite them.”
Madeline hesitated, sympathizing yet not wanting to accept Gerard’s claim that his theft was justified. “If Lynette truly loves you, she will put your life over her parents’ material gratification. You could have been killed today. She is unlikely to be any happier if you are hanged—or if you both must spend the rest of your lives hiding out in France as fugitives.”<
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“No, Lynette agrees with me. She wants her parents to have the necklace, even if we must live in France.” Gerard’s expression turned imploring. “Please, Maddie, you have to help me.”
Feeling a welling impotence, Madeline gazed back at her brother in dismay and frustration.
“What would Maman say about your stealing?” she finally muttered.
“It is unfair to bring her into this,” Gerard objected more quietly. “Maman is long gone. And in any case, I believe she would want to see justice done.”
Perhaps he was right about that, but still…. Madeline raised a hand to her temple. Not only was her bruised cheek throbbing, her head was aching with the futility of making her brother see reason. “Don’t you realize that you are destroying your entire future, Gerard? Not to mention that I may never see you again. You have to give the necklace back to Ackerby.”
“I cannot, Madeline. I will not.”
A tense silence ensued. Rayne, who had been watching their altercation without commenting, broke their impasse.
“There is a simple solution to your dilemma,” he said slowly.
When she turned to eye him, Rayne expounded. “I will purchase the necklace from Ackerby and gain his agreement not to press charges against your brother.”
“I say, that would be ‘capital’ of you!” Gerard exclaimed.
Madeline stared at Rayne, however, torn between distress and hope. With his chivalrous streak, he was determined to defend the weak and vulnerable and fight for justice. Gerard’s lamenting the plight of émigrés had been a far better way to gain Rayne’s sympathy than expressing fear at losing his wife’s love. But she couldn’t let Rayne make the financial sacrifice that trying to purchase the necklace would entail.
Nor could she understand why he would even want to help her brother out of his self-inflicted dilemma. A brief while ago, Rayne had grimly accused her of betrayal and adultery. His features were enigmatic now, devoid of emotion, giving no clue as to what he was thinking or feeling.
“It would not be ‘capital,’” Madeline replied before addressing Rayne. “Even if Ackerby is willing to part with the necklace—which is gravely doubtful—it would cost you a fortune, and I can’t allow you to throw your money away in support of my witless brother’s felony.”
To Tame a Dangerous Lord Page 30
