Page 8 of Hush Darling
Deep down, she believed her father did not secure her ticket because he feared she’d embarrass him. He knew she had an unruly side, and he urged her to be more like the refined daughters of his friends. But the longer he held her back, the further she desired to run from his expectations. She wanted to shatter them so he would see, once and for all, that she was her own person.
The click of the front door punctuated their descending footsteps and fading chatter. The house fell into empty silence.
Wendy growled and fell back on her bed. “Ouch.” Plucking a hairpin from her hair, she scowled and then threw it to the nightstand.
Nana continued to bark even after the limo drove away. She went to the window to see what was out there, but the surrounding mansions were dark, the inhabitants most likely on their way to the ball.
With a sigh, she stepped into the shadows and unzipped her gown, letting it fall into a puddle of wilted chiffon. Slipping out of her undergarments, she pulled on a plain white nightgown and unpinned her hair.
Her eyes narrowed on her reflection as childlike ringlets coiled about her cheeks. Her mind and body were not that of a little girl anymore, yet here she was, dressed the same and ready for bed by eight.
Grinding her molars, she shook out her curls until dark waves fell wildly down her shoulders and back. The dark coal around her eyes had smudged from tears, leaving her blue eyes more prominent than usual. She looked dangerous and slightly unhinged. She liked seeing herself that way and wished others could see this side of her, too.
Her mind once again drifted to Peter Pangbourne. “Let’s see what you think of me now, Peter.” She reached for her phone, angling the lens upward as she formed a pout with her lips. She snapped a picture and sent it to him.
Her father misjudged him and she should show him just how much. There was something different about Peter. He might dress in designer clothes like the other men of society, but something untamable lingered beneath his surface.
When she first met him, he smelled of grass and wilderness, not the typical scent of a refined gentleman. And once he started texting her in that forward, flirty way, he confirmed that he had a darker side. That was the only side that interested her.
A loud crash broke the silence, and she jolted upright, bolting to her feet. Nana went berserk on the back lawn, barking wildly as Wendy rushed to the door. Cool air teased her ankles, the draft rushing up the stairs from the foyer.
She snatched her robe from the bedpost and rushed downstairs. A chill raced up her spine as she crept along the banister.
“Liza?”
The maid didn’t answer.
Perhaps she forgot to latch the door. That would explain such a draft, but what was that crash? Wendy tightened the belt of her robe as another chill raced over her skin.
“Michael?” Perhaps her brother had come by. “Is someone there?”
The fine hairs at the nape of her neck tickled as she crossed the foyer and found the front door gaping open. A sense of unease passed through her as her nightgown fluttered at her ankles with the creeping fog.
“Hello?” She shut the door and jumped when the grandfather clock gonged. The droning clang marked the late hour with a repetitive toll. “Stupid clock.”
Nana’s bark grew louder. The foolish dog was likely barking at branches rustling in the wind.
“Liza, you left the door unlocked.” Silly maid. Or perhaps it was her father who forgot to lock the door. “Liza?”
“Gotcha!”
“Ah—Mmph!” A masculine hand clamped over her mouth as the urn in the foyer wobbled and shattered into pieces.
She swung her arms and tried to scream, but the intruder immobilized her. Her eyes widened in utter panic as a thickly muscled arm banded about her waist, lifting her back to his chest.
“I’ve got you now, Wendy Darling,” the masculine voice growled in her ear, and she shrieked, biting into the hand hard enough to provoke a curse from her assailant.
He swept her off her feet before she could break free. Kicking her legs, she clawed at whoever held her. “Let go of me!”
His grip only tightened as his dark chuckle tickled her ear, and the scent of wild grass teased her nose. “Hush, little darling, it will all be over soon.”
Chapter 2
The Shadows of Men
Recognition flooded Wendy in a wave of relief and fury. She slammed an elbow into his ribs as hard as she could manage, and he grunted, loosening his hold.
Her feet hit the floor, and she shoved him. “You scared the hell out of me, Peter!”
