Page 56 of Three Nights with the Beastly Duke

His sister’s face became awash with relief, and she grabbed his wrist. “Rebecca says she thinks she may know,” she replied, leading him out of the room. “She is in the carriage, waiting for us. Come, quickly.”

Arthur began to walk with his sister but then stopped short, pulled away, and went to his armoire.

“Brother, what are you doing? We must hurry!” Susan urged.

Arthur pulled open the drawer and opened the box inside, revealing his two favorite pistols and a case of bullets. He pulled them out and turned directly to Archibald. “Ready to go to war again?” he asked him.

Archibald smiled dangerously, holding his own pistol up. “Let’s go get the bastard, old boy,” he replied. “And save your Duchess.”

* * *

“Arthur will come for me,” Lavinia stated, glaring at Timothy as he tied her hands together.

The last two days had been hell. Timothy could not stop talking about his obsession—his plan to take her away. During the night, she would not sleep, fearful of what Timothy might try to do.

Aside from the first day, he hadn’t tried to force himself on her, but she still kept a wary eye on him. On top of that, he’d given her no food since she’d awakened that first day, and she felt her strength waning.

She’d been terrified at first, especially when he had pulled out a new gown and forced her to disrobe from her dirty chemise in front of him. It was then, as his greedy, lustful eyes refused to leave her most private of parts, that her terror turned into rage. He would pay for his crimes, she swore to herself.

Timothy looked up at her, his eyes glittering with jealousy, and with a swift movement, he grabbed her by the collar of her dress and forced her to her feet.

“I don’t think so, darling,” he replied, holding her only a hairbreadth away from his nose. “After that letter you left him, he’s probably holed up someplace, drinking away his sorrows.” He chuckled darkly, shaking his head. “I almost feel bad for him.” He laughed. Then, his smile dropped completely, and he pressed his forehead so hard against hers that she gasped and tried to pull away.

“Except I don’t. Now, stop trying to provoke me. Our carriage has arrived to take us to the port. Once we’re on the ship, you’ll settle down, and then perhaps we can talk more rationally.”

“You think that I’ll let you take me on a ship?” She laughed bitterly. “I will scream.”

“You will get on the ship quietly, or I’ll have my driver go to your precious beast and slit his throat,” Timothy threatened.

Lavinia gasped and fought against the grip he had on her ropes, but Timothy was so strong that he could hold her still with one hand while unlocking the door with the other. Still, she struggled the entire way to the carriage, doing everything she could to get out of his grasp.

He’d tied her hands but not her feet, and she was sure if she could just get loose, she could run into the forest and hide.

Nothing worked, though, and when they reached the carriage door and he flung it open, he picked her up like a sack of potatoes and flung her inside. She screamed at the driver for help, but this only made Timothy laugh.

“You think my driver will listen to you?” he asked in a condescending tone. “Unlike you, he understands thatIam the master. Not you. Don’t you see how pleasant this could all be if you accepted that, too?”

“It is you that must accept that this is a poor plan!” Lavinia bit back viciously. “Arthur and I love each other, and he will see right through your lies. He’s going to kill you for this, Timothy.”

“Enough!” Timothy snarled, pulling her close to his face again as the carriage began to move. “You donotlove that beast. You love me!”

His hands moved to her face and gripped her cheeks roughly, then he pressed his mouth to hers, tongue first, and kissed her.

Rage and disgust poured through Lavinia as she felt Timothy’s cold, oily tongue thrust into her mouth, and she bit down as hard as she could. A giant roar expelled from her captor as he shoved her away so forcefully that the back of her head hit the carriage wall hard, making her see stars.

Still, as the carriage spun and her head began to throb, Lavinia spat out Timothy’s blood and smiled at him ruefully.

Timothy glared at her as blood dripped down his chin, his madness seemingly coming fully undone. Lavinia knew that he could kill her then if he wanted, and in response, she raised her blood-stained chin in the air proudly.

“Arthur is ten times the man you’ll ever be, Timothy,” she spat out. “And I don’t love you. Whether you force me to go to Italy with you or keep me a prisoner for the rest of my life. I will love only him. I willneverlove you the way I love him!”

Timothy’s hand snaked to the back of her head, pulling her hair harshly as he brought her face closer to his. “Say that again, and Iwillstrike you, Lavinia,” he threatened, spitting flecks of blood across her lips and cheeks. “You will learn, one way or another, that you belong withme.”

Lavinia laughed bitterly, shaking her head, even though it pained her to do so. “No matter what you do to me, I willneverbelong to you,” she hissed, glaring directly into his crazed eyes.

Timothy cocked his fist back as he murmured something about shutting her up, but just as Lavinia braced for the impact of the hit, the carriage stopped abruptly, throwing them both out of their seats.

As it happened, Timothy’s temple was knocked hard against the window, rendering him unconscious. From outside, Lavinia could hear the driver shouting at someone to stop, followed quickly by the sound of a fist hitting flesh. Immediately, the yelling ceased, and all she heard outside were the chirps of birds.

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