Page 108 of Enslaved
“Come upstairs,” he repeated. The sound of his voice told Diana he was as upset as she had seen him throughout this entire ordeal.
Her chin went up. “I haven’t broken his heart,” she said defensively. “He was marrying me for my money, but obviously you knew that—everyone but me knew that.”
He came down the stairs like a panther stalking its prey. Hair on the nape of her neck raised in alarm and a shudder passed over her.Run!her inner voice cried, but she was rooted to the spot, mesmerized by the dark force of the powerful male who advanced upon her.
He swept her up in commanding arms that brooked no refusal and carried her up the staircase. She struggled against him, but his brute strength and anger were so great she could not escape his iron grip. He strode into his bedchamber and kicked the door shut behind them.
“Marcus … Mark!” she gasped. “Please don’t do this.”
His black eyes gazed into hers in disbelief. “Are you afraid of me?”
“I … I am afraid of your anger,” she whispered.
He sat down before the fire and gathered her against him. “My anger is not at you, it’s at what they’ve done to you!”
Diana sagged against him, grateful for his strength.
“How will you ever trust anyone again, when they’ve all betrayed you?” He clenched an iron-hard fist. “You were even afraid of me. I want to kill them!”
She took hold of his fist and drew it to her cheek. His fingers opened and he brushed them across her temple and caressed her face tenderly. Centuries of civilization had wrought changes. Marcus would have killed them; Mark controlled his bloodlust. “What did Peter tell you?”
“He said Richard and Prudence were embezzling my money. He said my only hope of escaping their control was to marry him. He had some sort of written agreement with them to divide up my fortune. I told him I would go and confront them.”
“No. You mustn’t do that. I’ll have my barristers start an investigation immediately.”
“What did Peter say to you, or more to the point, what did you say to Peter?”
“When he admitted he wanted to marry you for money, I let my fists do my talking for me.”
“Poor Peter.”
“You’re not sorry for the young swine?”
“In a way. He’ll never be able to measure up to you. You set a formidable example.”
“You exaggerate, but I love it.” His lips touched her earlobe. “Tell me more.”
“You are noble and honorable and—”
“I’m a bloody fool. I told him I’d settle his debts. I’ll have to go up to London tomorrow and buy back all his markers. I can’t just give him the money, he’s completely untrustworthy.” His arms tightened about her. “Come with me?” Mark knew it was a lot to ask. If they traveled to London together, openly, she would be completely compromised. The ton would descend upon her like a pack of ravenous beasts and devour what was left of her reputation.
“I’d rather stay here,” she murmured against his throat. While he was safely in London, Diana fully intended visiting Queen Square for a showdown. She didn’t need Mark to fight all her battles for her. In fact, she was quite looking forward to a confrontation with Prudence.
“Perhaps that would be best,” he said ruefully. “You’ll be perfectly safe here. Peter isn’t likely to return for some time, but if he does, I’ll have Mr. Burke forbid him the house.”
“I’m not afraid of Peter. So long as I have you, the whole world and everyone in it can go to hell.”
His lips claimed her possessively. Between kisses she whispered, “Why don’t you look for a pair of Roman dining couches while you’re in London? Food and lovemaking are a delicious combination.”
She was the most fascinating, unconventional woman he had ever known and he utterly adored her. He cursed that he had to leave her tomorrow, but he would make up for it tonight.
The following morning when Charles Wentworth was summoned to Queen Square, he was mildly surprised. Prudence Davenport had hated him on sight and did not want him treating Lady Diana. Richard Davenport must have overruled her. Though it wasn’t apparent, Davenport must have the upper hand in the marriage.
When he arrived, Dr. Wentworth was greeted by Richard and it was obvious that Prudence, sitting quietly in the drawing room, had been told to mind her manners.
“Thank you for coming, Dr. Wentworth. We need to understand more fully what happened to Diana and learn if she is to recover.”
“Well, it’s a rather baffling case, of course. Your niece disappeared for months. Only she knows where she was, but she has suppressed this knowledge. Lady Diana believes she was transported back in time to when the Romans occupied Britain. It’s a form of amnesia. The mind has a blank space that is terrifying in itself, and so it substitutes a plausible story.”
