Page 32 of A Wicked Earl's Widow
“Don’t give me an answer now. Instead, think over all I have said.” He bent and kissed her again then feathered her neck with light kisses. “I’ll say this and no more until you’ve heard from your relation.”
She looked up at him and he saw the hope in her eyes. The yearning to believe his words. “Remember this. I love you, Eliza. Lean on me now, so you I may lean on you as we grow old together.”
Chapter Fourteen
Mid May
Pendle Place
Landonshire had bided his time, knowing that perseverance and cleverness always prevailed. The situation was just as his paid mole had described Eliza’s daily routine included a walk with her daughter after breakfast each day. The governess would collect her ward and the hound, then Eliza would spend time tending the plot of herbs. She’d always been a muttonhead that way, wanting to get her hands dirty and enjoying the outdoors.
Last Saturday had been quite a boon. Eliza had gone on a picnic with Pendleton and his sister. He’d watched the sister fall in the river and take her leave with the groom. Then Pendleton and Eliza had gone into the woods to look at some ridiculous tree. The storm hit and they had taken refuge in a cabin. The whore had stayed with the viscount until the storm had passed. Soaked to the bone, he’d waited until they left then entered the structure. It had been worth the chill to find this hideaway.
The little cabin presented the perfect hiding plan for his plan. Bringing Eliza home would take too long. There would only be hours between the time he could snare his prey and Pendleton returned home. Falsbury and Sunderland could easily intercept him on the way. Instead, he’d sent his paid ruffian to escort Lady Landonshire here. He licked his lips, imagining her tied up on the bed of the deserted shed, her eyes wide with fright. His wife would be the cat’s paw in this upcoming scene. Eliza would watch as he thrashed her mother. He’d learned some tricks over the years, ways to keep the blood flow down but heighten the pain. His blood heated thinking of the scene to come. The screams and groans of pain, the terror in their eyes, the pleas to stop. Mercy was not one of his virtues, he thought with a grin.
The staff was busy in other areas of the property this time of day but a stranger might attract attention. Noting the color and style of Pendleton’s coat and horse each morning, Landonshire had used the last of his blunt to purchase the same. His own mount had grown long in the tooth, so he’d had to spend more than anticipated and throw in his pocket watch. But if someone spotted him riding along the back of the property, they would think it was the master returning home.
This morning he’d been careful to keep a safe distance upwind from the gardens, so the hound wouldn’t catch an unfamiliar scent and tip off any of the groundskeepers. Watching the older woman walk away with the girl and hound, he chuckled at his granddaughter holding the dog’s ear as if it were a hand. She was a pretty little thing. If he could get her away from Falsbury, she might be worth something to him one day.
Too bad about the viscount. After their romantic tryst, Landonshire almost had a pang of sympathy for his daughter. If her next husband didn’t linger too long, and Pendleton remained a bachelor, they could marry then. He would have his thirty thousand, Bellum would have his heir, and he didn’t care what the little whore did after that.
With a shrug, he dug the sharp spur into his stallion’s flank, drawing blood and sending the beast lunging down the hill. It was time to collect the merchandise.
Eliza kneltin the herb plot and pulled a weed away from the rosemary. The garden was therapeutic. Watching the new growth, tending the soil, inhaling the spicy scent of herbs was a balm in itself. She could clear her mind and think while she tended the herbs. And there was so much to think about. Marriage. Nathaniel. A family. Was his love genuine or only an infatuation with the woman he thought her to be? Oh, how she wanted to stay at Pendle Place, marry this wonderful man, and live happily ever after.
Black boots appeared on one side of her. Nate! He’d come back early. A hand pulled back her hair and she smiled. Then fingers dug into her skull, grabbed a handful of hair, and snapped her head back. She stared into the face of her father.Nooo!
“Good morning, my sweet daughter. I’ve missed you.” His other hand covered her mouth. “Let’s not be too loud in our excitement in being reunited, eh? I have a pistol, and anyone who tries to stop us will find out what a good shot I am. Do you understand?”
She nodded, eyes wide and body trembling.Show no fear. Show no fear.He fed on it and grew stronger. Eliza would not give him more power.Breathe in…and out. In…and out.Her mind calmed.Now think!
He slowly removed his hand from her mouth. “We’re going for a little ride. Your mother is anxious to see you.”
Mama? Oh God, what had he done to her mother? “You’re taking me home?” Falsbury or Sunderland would find her there. They might even be able to catch them if she found a way to slow down their progress. But the next words sent a chill down her spine.
“I like the little haven of love you and Pendleton visited the other day. Deserted, rarely used. We’ll have plenty of privacy while we…talk.” He yanked her hair again and pulled her from the garden plot onto the stone path. “I’m sure you remember how I love to talk.”
He’d been watching them? A tremor passed through her body. “Mama is there?”Think! Think! Think!Her hands scraped along the small rocks as he dragged her backward. The cabin was less than an hour’s ride. How could she let Nathaniel know where they would be?Cyrano.She had to distract her father, give him what he wanted.
“Yes, she’s waiting for you. We’ll have a lovely reunion, just like old times, yes?”
“Papa, I’m s-so s-sorry. Please don’t hurt me.”
A malicious grin widened his face. Meeting his gaze, she pleaded with him. Her stomach twisted as the familiar glee glittered in his eyes. Her fingers dug into the pebbles beneath her, clutching at as many as she could against her palm and sliding one hand into the pocket of her skirt.
“I will do whatever you say, just don’t hurt Althea.”
“I wanted her but that noisy hound never leaves her side. But I’m a resourceful man.”
She slid the other handful of pebbles into the opposite pocket. Just as she attempted another fistful, he hauled her to her feet. He took her hand and began to pull her toward the back of the garden. Hopping behind him for a few steps, she pulled her thin leather shoe off and dropped it. Then she dragged the toe of her other shoe along the ground as much as possible without Landonshire’s notice.
He said they were going for a ride. A carriage or even a curricle would be noticed, so they would be on horseback. Once she was off the ground, she would have to drop enough items along the way to keep Cyrano tracking the scent. She prayed the pebbles would be enough.
“Shall I hold you in front of me or will you behave? Remember, I have a pistol”—he patted a bulge under his waistcoat—“and I’ll shoot anyone who follows us. I’m a desperate man with little left to lose but a great deal to gain.”
The thought of his arms around her, his breath heavy against her head, sent bile rushing up her throat. “Behind.” When he turned to mount the horse, she pulled the two ribbons from her hair and slid them inside her gloves. That would give her four pieces of material to drop as well as the stones. She prayed it would be enough.
The stallion had a smooth gallop and she was able to hold on with one hand most of the journey. Landonshire assumed she wanted as little contact with her as possible. She’d dropped her last item, a glove, at the entrance of the woods and hoped it would be enough. The day was clear with little wind. Eliza didn’t know if that was better for Cyrano or not.
