Page 111 of An Unwanted Spinster for the Duke
Marianne could not believe what she was hearing. Was it her fault that he was a terrible man? A criminal?
“Why are you doing this? There are children in this house. My sisters…” she faltered, tears welling up unbidden at the thought of Daphne and Victoria sleeping peacefully upstairs.
“I know, Duchess,” Linpool interjected, still with that smile on his lips. The one she could not wait to wipe off but did not know how. “Why do you think I chose tonight? You are visiting. Your father is drunk.”
“You bastard!” she cried, her voice cracking, while her body trembled with fury. “You are insane.”
“That’s where you are wrong,” he argued. “I am merely determined. I know what I want and how to get it. Now, shall we leave this place and save your family?”
Linpool had a way of twisting the situation, but she knew better than to fight him. Her eyes wandered back to the staircase. The men stood there like puppets waiting for their master to turn the keys.
She thought of the locations of her sisters’ bedrooms. How much could she do? Could she take a risk? Wilhelmina’s room was so close, just down the hall, but Elizabeth’s was even closer. What if Linpool made good on his threat? The fire would blaze quickly and envelop the bedchambers before her sleeping sisters could wake up. She almost wished that she had let them stay with her, but that would leave the twins alone upstairs.
“Where are we going?” she demanded, clenching her hands into fists.
“Oh, but we are going home to Oakmere,” Linpool said conversationally, as if they were two friends about to go on a trip. “You’re going to help me find all the good things your husband has been hiding. I know he has money and gold lying about, and perhaps vital information that would prove to be useful one day.”
Anger surged through her. She and Dominic might not be on speaking terms right now, but she wouldn’t let this snake rob him.
“You are positively mad if you truly believe I’d help you with that,” she gritted out.
“Mad? Perhaps I am. However, I have half a brain to bring insurance,” he said easily, gesturing lazily at the staircase again.
His finger ended up pointing at her, and she knew what he meant. She was part of the insurance. He would be holding her against Dominic. She, the weakness.
“Now, be a good duchess and save your family by walking. Quietly. No attempts to call out for anyone.”
Marianne’s mind raced as she tried to think of a plan to escape her present situation. It was difficult, with her heart pounding so hard she could feel it in her ears. She knew that if she tried to make a sound or flee, the house would light up like a tinderbox.
She believed it. The men looked just as insane as Linpool. They’d risk their lives for him and would run through the flames to escape while her family burned. Her eyes darted to the bell pull longingly.
“Try it and you know that I can get them to do what I want in no time,” Linpool said calmly but dangerously.
Marianne exhaled shakily. It didn’t look like she could get away from this. So, she nodded even as her eyes burned. She willed herself not to cry. At least, she would not give Linpool the satisfaction of seeing her become reduced to tears.
No. That will not happen.
With Linpool following her closely, Marianne walked down the hallway. She walked stiffly but held her back straight. The door creaked open, making her heart lurch at the sound. Then, they stepped into the cold night.
There were no running footsteps. No shouts. Linpool was about to leave Grisham townhouse with her, without much of a problem. A black carriage waited at the curb, with the coachman dressed all in black and wearing a hood to hide his face.
“Get inside, Duchess,” Linpool commanded.
She obeyed, not given much of a choice.
He followed her inside and then looked out and nodded at his men. They had left the house, much to her relief. With their master’s permission, they melted back into the shadows. It reminded her of the time Dominic paused to look into the trees, suspecting that someone was lurking behind them.
It was like this, then. Her husband had suspected someone was watching them, and he had been right.
“Time to go,” Linpool ordered, rapping on the ceiling.
It was all that was needed to get the coachman going—for the horses to move. Marianne felt so lost.
Inside the carriage, it felt like a different world, with her trapped within it. The world was all swaying darkness as the curtainswere drawn. Across from her, Linpool sat with his legs spread and his arms relaxed at his sides. He was humming. It was merely another night for him, and that revealed so much about him.
Marianne could not admit to the fear coursing through her. It did not stop her from saying anything, though.
“You won’t get away with this, Linpool,” she spat.
