Page 34 of A Wicked Earl's Widow
“Father, please,” moaned Eliza. How could her mother not make a sound? Her eyes stayed focused on her daughter, as if she were her life’s blood.
“Shut your mouth while I’m speaking!” He jabbed his wife’s other thigh. “This impudent young welp refuses to invest in one of my ventures. Well, we know what happens when I’m crossed, don’t we? He shouldn’t have done that.”
Cold terror filled Eliza’s gut. Her hands trembled against the ropes, and she fought for breath.Carson? He killed Carson?
“Ah, you understand! It was a shame because thataccidentcould have easily been avoided.”
“Murderer! You murdered Carson, you blasted devil!” His evil had no bounds. He’d always been a monster but to arrange to have her husband killed. And Nathaniel could be on his way. Her heart in shreds, her stomach churning, her blood boiling, the rage took over. Oh, to scrape that smug look off his face. She eyed the pistol on the table. Or shoot it off his face.
That would end it. If Landonshire was dead, she would be free. One look at her mother, and it would be obvious they had been defending themselves. She inched toward the gun.
“Listen to your daughter.” Landonshire shook his head and bent to pat his wife’s cheek then squeezed it, twisting the skin between his thumb and two fingers.
Eliza reached for the pistol. Her hands wrapped around its handle but the binds on her wrists made handling it awkward. She got her finger onto the trigger but struggled to pull back the hammer.
“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?”
He jumped from the rocker and charged at her. Eliza fought to pull back the hammer but couldn’t get her thumbs in position. His hand grabbed her wrist and they grappled for the flintlock. Landonshire bent her wrist back and the gun flew from her hand. It hit the floor and slid across the wood, stopping in front of her mother’s face. She watched the look come over the other older woman’s face and knew she had the same thoughts her daughter had.
Eliza clutched her father’s shirt and screamed at him, anticipating the blow that flung her head against the back of the chair. She reached up and scratched his face, prepared for his wrath while her mother picked up the gun. The hammer clicked and the room fell silent. Its occupants went still. In the distance came the low bay of a hound.
Chapter Fifteen
Sheep shed
Pendle Place
The sheep bleated, fear and irritation showing in the whites of its eyes. The farmer made quick use of his blades, peeling the wool off and tossing it onto a growing pile. Finished, he released the mewling sheep and it ran pell-mell from the shed. Nate had been pleased with the wool business this year. It was turning a profit and providing work for his tenants. Gideon had told him on the last visit that his textile business would continue to buy all the wool he could produce.
“Here comes Mr. Maxwell.” The farmer nodded his head toward the open door. A horse and rider appeared at the top of a distant hill, riding at breakneck speed.
His chest tightened. Only an emergency would provoke his steward to approach in such haste. “I must go. Excellent work” He rushed outside and untied his gelding. Could it be Mother? He met Maxwell at the bottom of the hill. The man was in a sweat and his horse’s neck glistened from exertion.
“Lady Hannah sent me. Lady Eliza is gone. She found a shoe in the garden but the lady herself is nowhere on the grounds.”
For a moment, Nate could not move. An unfamiliar terror gripped his muscles. Then Maxwell and spurred him into action.
“She’s afraid Landonshire has taken her.”
“Hiya!” Nathaniel applied crop and heel to his horse and they galloped up the hill. By Christ, he’d kill the man.
At Pendle Place, his mother and sister had ordered fresh horses readied for both men. The ladies faces were grim as they waited, Cyrano patiently lying at their feet. His manservant stood behind them holding two pistols. “Ready and loaded, my lord,” he said as he handed them over.
“The post brought news from Grace today,” began Hannah. “I went to find Eliza, knowing she would want to read the letter right away. I found this.” She handed the shoe to her brother.
Lady Pendleton’s voice was brisk and in charge. “I’ve sent for Dr. Goodman. He’s in the next village and should arrive within a few hours. I also posted a quick note to Sunderland Castle.”
“Thank you.” Nate tucked one of the pistols into his saddlebag and handed the second to Maxwell. “I will bring her home. I promise you that.” If it took his last dying breath.
“I know you will, son.” She placed a hand on his boot and looked up at him, sorrow darkening her eyes. “Now off with you both, there is no time to waste.”
With a whistle, Cyrano followed the men to the spot where the shoe had been found. The disturbed gravel bore witness to the struggle that had occurred. Eliza had not gone willingly. An invisible knife twisted in Nate’s gut. His fists clenched and unclenched in raw fury. “If he’s harmed one hair on her head, Iwillkill him.”
He dismountedand held the shoe to the hound’s nose. He sniffed the item at length, put his nose in the air, and then to the ground. With a deep bay, Cyrano padded off, his ears dragging along the pebbled path.
“Send a wagon after us. We may need it for…” Nate’s voice trailed off, his jaw clenched.
Maxwell reached out and gripped his shoulder. “She hasn’t been gone long, a couple hours at most. We’ll find her.”
