Page 68 of The Duke and the Hellion Bride

Now he was gone, and for that reason Diana did not even consider waiting until he arrived back from wherever he had gone off to before opening the letter. As far as she was concerned, he could never come back, and she would be happier for it.

As to the letter...

Diana opened it, thinking little of the strange circumstances. Then she scanned the letter once, her eyes turned wide, and her heart began to race as her face paled. She read it again, just to double check. And then a third time because surely this was some sort of sick joke.

“He refused to tell you who had sent him?” she asked.

“Yes, Your Grace. He outright refused.”

Dearest Diana,

It brings me no pleasure to do this, but I am afraid that I must insist on having you come meet with me without delay. An hour from this letter’s arrival will do, giving you plenty of time to make the short journey. My only request is that you come alone, and without informing your husband. Make an excuse, whatever is required, but do not tell him where you are going or why.

Alas, I wish I could trust you, but we are not quite there yet. Thus, if you ignore this generous request, I will be left with no choice but to harm Josephine and Adeline. I do not wish it, and I know you do not wish this either, so please, adhere to my request and all will be well.

As to where we shall meet, the address is below. Come alone, and quickly. I truly cannot wait to see you.

“Is something the matter, Your Grace?” the member of staff asked.

For the fourth time, Diana read the letter. This had to be a joke. A sick game, to what end she could not imagine. The letter was written like a love note, only with not-so-thinly veiled threats that she simply could not ignore.

Still unsure, she fumbled through the envelope and found the address that the letter referred to. It was park not too far from here, on the outskirts of London but still relatively isolated.What on earth is going on?

If this had arrived just one day earlier, Diana was certain she would have told Magnus, regardless of the letter's threat. But it was not one day earlier. Magnus wasn’t here, she wasn’t certain what their future held, and the letter hard warned her against telling anybody under threats of violence toward the girls.

She thought quickly. A playful scream from nearby had her watching the girls play together, the smiles on their faces, how joyous they were. It made her heart soar as much as it did sink. As foolish as it was, and as dangerous, Diana knew that she had no choice but to comply. Such was the way of things.

“Have a carriage made ready this instant,” she commanded of the staff. “I will be with it shortly.”

“Your Grace,” the member of staff bowed. “And where shall I tell the driver to be taking you?”

Again, she found herself looking at the girls. Who would have guessed that two relative strangers as they were could affect her so much? Knowing now what she would do for them. Willingly walking into a clear trap to keep them safe. Oh, how she wished Magnus was here. But then again, the fact that he was not was the problem.

“No where good,” she said, turning and striding toward the manor.

* * *

The park which the letter had asked Diana to meet at was roughly the same size as the back garden at Magnus’ estate. It was, however, nowhere near as well curated. An open space of overgrown grass that gave way to mismatched trees and hedges, it looked long abandoned and all the more ominous for it.

She had the carriage pull up across the road. Mostly, there were empty plots of land – farms and pastures – in all directions, with a few notable farmhouses peppered across the horizon. For all intents and purposes it was isolated, and if something went awry there would be nobody to come and save her.

The coachman was an employee of Magnus’, she did not know his name, but she asked him to wait by the carriage because he was her only source of protection. He asked if she wished for accompaniment, but Diana sensed that whoever had asked to meet her would not appreciate such a thing.

“It will be fine,” she assured him as she surveyed the park from a distance. “However, if I am not back in ten minutes, do come and collect me.”

His face hardened but he knew better than to argue. A firm nod of the head and he climbed back atop the carriage.

With that taken care of, Diana had no choice but to do as the letter had instructed and meet the mystery sender. She walked carefully across the road and into the park, eyes searching, breath staggered because she was understandably worried. Not scared. For now, there was no need to be. But she supposed that just depended on who she was here to meet.

The answer to that question came a second later.

He stepped out from behind a tree across the way. The shadows from the canopy masked his features at first, forcing Diana to squint to see who it was. Then he stepped forward and into the light and Diana gasped... quickly followed by a scowl.

“You!”

“Your Grace,” Lord Herrod purred as he swept toward her. “Might I say that you look as ravishing as the last time we spoke. Perhaps even more so, which just proves what I have always suspected.” His eyes flashed mischief. “That a beauty such as you are grows even more so by the day.”

“You!” she said again, taking a step back as he came closer. “What is the meaning of this? And how dare you threaten the children!”

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