“And if the horses were here? Would you really return me?”
“No” It was only one word, but it spoke volumes. He had gotten up and now stood before her.
“You are a horrible man, and I hate you” Alexis spat, swinging her hand trying to strike him across the face, but he easily caught her arm and held it immobile. He looked angry now too, and Alexis felt a bit fearful of him as his blue eyes flashed coldly.
“I know that you do not see it now, but one of these days you will see that I have saved you from a horrible fate.” Alexis felt a shudder run down her spine at his words, they were spoken with such passion that Alexis found herself morbidly intrigued. It was obvious, whatever his reason for hating Dante, this man believed it.
“Explain it to me?” He still held her closely, and it was a moment before either one of them realized it.
“You would not believe me” He said wearily as he quickly released her and took the seat opposite her on the settee.
“I think you owe me an explanation for kidnapping me, let me decide what I would or would not believe.” The Earl looked cynical, and for a moment, Alexis did not think he would speak. She was almost ready to get up and stomp from the room when he began to speak in a hollow voice.
“My parents died when I was two, leaving my sister and I alone. My sister married Delacourt when I was four, because of my father’s death, I was already the Earl of Adderly but my sister knew nothing about managing my estate. She married so that I would have a man to guide me; as her husband, everything went in trust to Delacourt to manage until I reached my majority…. At first everything seemed fine; I was too young to know the difference.” The Earl stopped speaking and scrubbed his hands over his face before continuing, he suddenly looked very tired.
“When I was ten or so, I walked in on my sister sobbing, there were bruises on her face- she tried to tell me that she had walked into the door, but I knew then.” Alexis began to feel a prickle of unease steal across her, his story had the bone chilling ring of truth. His face showed such real grief that she could have wept for him. Unconsciously Alexis reached her hand out and rested it on his arm, a sign of comfort. The Earl jumped at her touch, casting her a disbelieving look. How this woman he had just kidnapped could be showing him compassion, was bedlam.
Leaving her arm on his as a warm, reassuring weight, he continued his story. “After that I started noticing the violence and my sister’s unhappiness more and more. I tried defending her… but I was not large enough and usually ended up being beaten for defying him.” Alexis felt her heart go out to him; crazily the man who had kidnapped her now had her sympathy.
Gabriel shook his head, as though reading her thoughts and was trying to shake off her compassion. “I should have done more…” Alexis refused to let him shake her off, grabbing his hand she held on tightly when he tried to draw away.
“You were only a child, there was nothing you could have done against a full grown man. He must have been so much bigger and stronger than you.” Alexis felt her heart aching for this man and what he had gone through.
“When I was fifteen my sister got truly sick, but that bastard was still relentless. He made demands on her that no Lady should have had to submit to. He made her do menial jobs that the servants should have been doing. Delacourt would go out of his way just to humiliate and degrade her; it was a sport for him.” The anger was unmistakable; his body vibrated with it, and Alexis felt sickened by the man she had almost married. She did not know why she believed this stranger, but she did, totally and utterly.
“I contacted my family solicitors and began making arrangements to rescue my sister; I was an Earl after all and nearly out of the school room.” This last bit was said with so much self-loathing and bitterness that Alexis flinched. “The courts were too slow to react, and my sister died, died like a servant… worse than a servant. I would never treat a whore on the street as badly as that man treated Emmaline.”
His voice was haunted with memories as he spoke and Alexis wanted to weep for him. “The night she died … I lost it, I surprised Delacourt in his study; he was half in his cups or I would have never stood a chance. I beat him within an inch of his life that night before I left, and I have never to this day been back to his home. It was still two months before I turned sixteen and received my majority. I lived on the streets of London fighting to survive, anything was better than living with that monster.
When I finally did inherit, it was to find nothing was left except the entailed properties. In revenge, Delacourt mismanaged my estates so badly that I was completely broke when I reached my majority.” Alexis gasped; she found it nearly impossible to imagine that the same man who had courted her with such seeming sincerity was capable of such treachery, but for some reason, she could not doubt Gabriel’s words. Her heart knew it was true.
“Is that why you went to America?” She had heard the gossip about the strange Earl of Adderly, who went against the convention of the Ton and worked for his money. He is no better than a commoner working the wharf; she had heard the old biddies gossiping salaciously at balls, and now she wanted to strike out against them for their spite.
This man had been through so much; what right did the Matrons have to judge him so harshly? “Yes, I made my fortune back in shipping… but now I am back, and I have to make Delacourt pay” His voice chilled her, there was so much anger in it… but hurt too, and without thinking Alexis wrapped her arms around him and held him in an embrace. She felt him stiffen, but she refused to let go, there had been far too little comfort in his life.
Gabriel could not have been more shocked if she had pulled out a knife and stabbed him through the heart. His first reaction was to pull away, but his mind and body were totally disconnected from one another. His body craved the closeness; it was then that he realized that he did not even know her name.
“I do not know your name, not your true name?” Gabriel echoed his thoughts, for suddenly he had to know. All he knew was that her last name was Grant. Alexis felt his breath puff out to tantalize her ear when he spoke. It was true; he had bared his soul to her and she had not even told him her name.
“Alexis.” She whispered as they still continued to cling to each other. Gabriel pulled back a little and caressed her cheek between his thumb and forefinger.
“Alexis” He said the name almost reverently. “It suits you.” And then he was kissing her. His mouth descended upon hers and instead of pulling away as she should have done, Alexis felt herself respond. She had been kissed before by a bold suitor several years ago and once, a chaste peck from the Marquis on the cheek, but neither of those kisses had prepared her for this.
His lips were demanding and soothing both at once, hard yet soft. Alexis whimpered at the space that still existed between them and Gabriel as though he could read her mind, pulled her even closer locking her in his iron grip as their bodies melded together. His tongue playfully prodded her lips, until with a sigh Alexis opened for him. She had never before been kissed thus, but she had read about it, secretly in the penny novels she had secreted away in her room beneath the mattress. Young women seduced by tall roguish heroes; Alexis opened her eyes to stare briefly at Gabriel, yes, he matched the description; before twining her hands in his hair and becoming lost in his drugging kisses.
He looked like every woman’s vision of a tortured hero, tall and lean with a face that could knock a woman to her knees.
She tasted so sweet, and it was all Gabriel could do not to rip off her clothing and thrust into her there, God he had been so long without a woman’s touch, but she was an innocent and he could never go against his honor like that. She was his prisoner, his to protect.
The thought was like a cold douse of water, effectively putting a damper on his lust. Pulling her away, he set her down beside him on the chaise lounge. Her hair was in disarray, and she was breathing hard. Her lambent eyes were dark green with passion, and her kiss bruised lips held his attention for a long moment. With great diffi
culty, he had to remove himself from beside her, standing he clasped his hands together tightly behind his back to avoid reaching for her.
“This is not right.” Alexis blinked; she had been so lost in the myriad of feelings the kiss had produced that she had not been thinking about the rights and wrongs of it. Her heart was beating nearly out of her chest, and an unfamiliar dampness had placed itself between her legs. Squeezing her legs together experimentally, produced a sharp, shocking tingle of passion that made her gasp.
Desperately trying to pull herself together she began straightening her bodice. It was then that she realized she still wore her ridiculous wedding gown and the realization that within the space of twelve hours she had nearly married a monster, been kidnapped at pistol point and then willfully been seduced by her kidnapper; all while wearing this monstrous silk wedding gown.
A giggle escaped between her lips and Alexis clapped a horrified hand over her mouth to stop it. But she could not, she began to giggle in earnest, it was just all too much to bear. Gabriel looked at her as though she had lost her mind. “I am sorry; it is just… look at me!” Alexis gestured to her grandiose white gown, her mussed up hair and finally to Gabriel himself.
“I have been nearly married, kidnapped, willfully seduced all within a day’s time, and I am still wearing this ridiculous gown.” Alexis was nearly in tears from her hysterics even as she reached out and viciously ripped a lace bow from her dress.
Gabriel looked hesitant; it was obvious that the woman was exhausted, and overtly emotional, most of which was his fault… well, entirely his fault; he could not help thinking guiltily. “Perhaps we should go to bed…” He suggested and Alexis stared at him, her eyes quickly darting down to the bulge of his arousal in the front of his pants.
“I…” She hesitated a moment before with a shrug she gave in, throwing caution to the wind, she was already a ruined woman, and she had nothing to return too. If she had to return to shame and be an old maid that no respectable man wanted to marry, she at least wanted the memory of what his kisses promised. “I suppose we could try...” It was then that Gabriel realized with horror what he had said and what she thought he had meant.
“I meant that we should go to our own separate beds” He amended hastily and watched as her face flared in embarrassment.
“Of course that is what you meant.” She surprised him by replying with the grace of a Duchess, motioning for him to lead the way. Gabriel was holding on to his sense of honor by a thread; she had agreed to go to bed with him; his erection hardened further at the thought of taking the red headed temptress to his bed and he had to smother a groan of need as he led her to the room he had arranged for her opposite his own.
“Not going to lock me in or tie me to a bed post?” She asked saucily once they reached the door and Gabriel was amazed once more by her spunk, after everything she had been through she was making a jest of the situation.
“Not unless you think I need to?” Gabriel responded with a roguish wink that had heat pooling in her belly and lower.
“Perhaps another time…” Alexis responded blithely, though it was the last thing she felt.
“Goodnight then.” Gabriel leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips, he could not help himself. Alexis watched him turn and go into the room directly across the hall and firmly close the door before placing her fingers soothingly across her tingling lips.
Her room was quite nice, not what she had grown accustomed to in her parent’s palatial mansion in the upper crust of London’s Mayfair, but it was far more welcoming; Alexis found a fire roaring merrily in the grate as well as a pitcher of heated water.
The Earl must not have been telling the truth when he had said that they were completely alone, there was obviously an unseen servant at work here somewhere. There was also a snack of thick sliced bread and creamy fresh cheese, which Alexis enjoyed with vigor; it had been several hours since she had eaten in the coach.
A quiet knock sounded on the door, and Alexis felt her heart rise in her throat, was the Earl coming back, had he changed his mind? A thin little maid popped her head in the door then, and Alexis did not entirely like the disappointment that flared to life inside her.
The maid helped her undo the ruined wedding gown and digging through the drawers found her a faded night rail, that had apparently belonged to Gabriel’s sister. The maid explained that this had been their family home after their parents had died and before they had gone to live with the Marquis. From time to time, Gabriel and his sister had managed to slip away from Delacourt for a few days and had spent them happily. After the maid left her, Alexis sat on the bed for several moments unable to sleep. This had been an abused woman and a little boy’s secret haven. The thought saddened her beyond words.
Looking around the room, she found herself curiously opening first one drawer in the bureau and then another. There was an assortment of clothing, a few painted portraits. Alexis smiled as she saw an obviously younger version of Gabriel sitting astride a pony, a woman who looked a lot like her younger brother was holding the reigns. The next drawer Alexis opened was stuffed full of journals, unsure of what to do Alexis promptly shut the drawer and padded back to the bed and sat down. Several minutes ticked by before she grew restless and got up; returning to the drawer. This was the private thoughts of a dead woman, dare she read them? Did Alexis even have a right to read them? No, of course she did not, but something was calling to her from the time worn pages and finally she picked one up and gingerly opened it.
It was well past midnight when Alexis nodded off to sleep; the diary still clutched in her hands, tears streaks dried to her cheeks. She was bombarded by terrible dreams, and woke up feeling rather the worse for wear quite late the following morning. The maid knocked, and Alexis hastily shoved the diary underneath her pillow. It had been everything Gabriel had described, only heart wrenchingly worse told from the perspective of a woman constantly victimized by the hands of her vindictive husband.
Alexis shuddered at the thought that last night should have been her wedding night with the monster. She had read in the journal the recounting of Gabriel’s sisters own wedding night with the Marquis. The cruelty had begun that night when he had slapped her for her trepidation of the marriage bed, before he had taken her viciously, leaving her afterwards to clean up and cry, curled up alone.
He had not allowed her a ladies maid throughout their entire marriage, and had beaten and berated her for taking too long to dress when she had been unable to reach a button.
Alexis felt a tear slip down her cheek, she was so grateful to Gabriel for kidnapping her when he had. It had saved her from probably murdering the bastard, the first time he laid a hand on her in anger. A ruined reputation was nothing compared to the pain and degradation the Earl’s poor sister had been forced to endure. The maid informed her that Lord Adderly had offered anything she could find to wear, and after digging through the closet, she came up with a dark blue gingham morning dress belted at the waist with delicate white ribbon.
They had not been quite the same size, Alexis it appeared was much taller for the dress showed off a scandalous amount of ankle. Glancing in the mirror Alexis had to approve despite the lack of finesse. She was so grateful to be waking up here in this room rather than the colossal manor she would have been waking up in, had the wedding gone through as planned.
She thanked Gabriel silently once again as she went padding off in search of breakfast, scandalously barefoot. Gabriel’s sister must have had the tiniest of feet, for none of her slippers would fit Alexis’s own long, wide feet and the white diamond encrusted boots from her wedding ensemble had begun to blister her toes.
The Earl did not seem like a man who would expect her to stand on ceremony, considering the circumstances, and Alexis preferred to be barefoot, though it was not lady like behavior. She was now certain the Marquis would never have allowed it.
Gabriel had just seated himself for breakfast when the door swung open, and Lady Alexis bre
ezed in. His jaw dropped as he took in her attire; her ankles were showing quite hoydenishly and her feet were completely bare and void of stockings. She came to a complete stop when she saw him and blushed prettily, looking every inch as though she belonged in this rustic little country cottage.
Gabriel felt his loins hardening and rose from his chair with his napkin held purposely across his lap. He gestured for her to take her seat. “I hope that you are hungry.” He spoke with an easy smile, completely ignoring the fact that she was not wearing any shoes, he instead gestured to the buffet on the sideboard.
“Starving” Alexis admitted, dimpling at him as she scooped up a plate and began filling it with unlady like enthusiasm. Gabriel had to marvel at her tiny frame as she sat down opposite him, her plate filled to bursting. She looks as if she belongs here, at my table; the thought occurred to Gabriel. She was at ease, as if it were not uncommon for her to wake up in strange surrounding and dine with a strange man. A man who had kidnapped her the day before. Any other Lady would be fainting in fits of vapors, and here she sat calmly munching her coddled eggs and toast points.
“What did you have planned for today?” She interrupted his racing thoughts and Gabriel’s mind went blank; he had not thought that far ahead.
“I… am unsure; it is not every day I have to entertain my prisoners.” Gabe joked weakly and watched as a soft, thoughtful expression came over her face.
“I do not consider myself to be your prisoner anymore.” She stated matter of factly; it surprised him and threw him off balance.
“You do not?”
“I think you may call me your guest from now on.” Lady Alexis smiled mischievously at him from across the table. She was sitting directly across from him, and he could smell the clean, fresh scent of woman and soap, it was having a most interesting effect on him.
Kidnapped Page 2
