Page 62 of Choosing Her Earl at Last
Emmeline, while still angry, felt a brief moment of relief that her sister had not been tortured for the information that he sought. “Be glad that you did not take my mother. She would have made your life such a misery that you would have paid me to take her back.”
In spite of his normally cold nature toward her, Norman laughed with true amusement. “I do not doubt it.”
Emmeline thought over everything that he had admitted to her. What he said made so much sense of how their marriage hadbeen. She observed him now with new clarity. “You have what you want now. I have messengers delivering the very paintings and money that you requested to the designated location.
There is no reason for you to continue to hold Rebecca hostage. If you release her now, I will not tell a single soul that you are still alive. We will continue our lives living in this secret with no one the wiser.” Her eyes and tone begged him to see reason.
Norman shook his head with a menacing smile at the corner of his lips. “Rebecca may not have known anything about your father’s treasure, but she did reveal that you inherited two very important items from your father that you never told me about. Imagine my surprise when the wife that I had abandoned turned out to be the key to everything that I had ever desired.”
Emmeline’s heart stuttered in her chest. “Release Rebecca, and I will tell you anything that you wish to know.”
“Oh, no.” He shook his head once more. “That is not how this is going to happen. I hold the power and control here, my dear marchioness. You will do as I say, exactly as I say, and then you will see your sister once more.”
In the blur of panic and fear that threatened to swallow her, Emmeline somehow managed to remember her promise to the coachman who had helped them.
“And Martha Gouldsmith, what is her role in all of this?”
Norman laughed. “Your sister’s life is on the line, and you are concerned with a mere laundry maid?” He shook his head in amusement.
“Martha was the means to an end. I witnessed the connection between the two unlikely friends one day while strolling through the market. It served my purposes well. The laundry maid was entirely too easy to manipulate into doing my bidding with simple threats toward her family. She betrayed your sister with an alacrity that impressed even me.”
“You forced her hand. She is blameless,” Emmeline argued.
Norman arched a brow in surprise at her response. “You have grown gentler of heart, I see.”
Emmeline shook her head. “You never truly took the time to know me as my husband. How would you know anything about my heart?”
“That is fair,” Norman agreed, taking no offense whatsoever at her words.
His agreement was purely logical, nothing more, nothing less.
“However, I was right about one thing.”
“And what is that?”
“I knew that you would not be able to resist my invitation to speak with me, even if your family did not wish it. I knew that you would do what you thought was best, no matter the opposition, no matter the danger.” He gave her a smug, matter-of-fact look.
Emmeline’s mind swirled with every emotion possible, ranging from rage to deep sorrow. Part of her was angry that he was right, while another part of her was surprised to find that he had paid attention to her character at all.
“How could you be so certain that I would be able to separate myself from those who protect me?”
“You have always been clever. It is one of the things that I actually enjoyed about you during our brief time together. Too clever for your own good at times.”
A chill of warning ran up and down her spine at the look in his eyes. “What have you done?” she asked, recognizing the look of a man who was more pleased with himself than he should have been.
“I know that your friends, the Earl of Ravenshollow and Mr. Colin Barrington, alerted the Bow Street Runners of ourexchange and have set certain things into motion to ensure that they benefit from their plans to arrest me or to find Rebecca.
However, she has already been moved to a new secure location that the man I sent to be arrested in my stead is unaware of. No clever plan of yours, or anyone else’s, will bring her back to you. You have no choice but to obey my every command if you ever wish to see her again.”
“What do you wish for me to do?” Emmeline asked, all feeling having left her extremities in a fresh rush of fear and anxiety.
“Take me to the treasure. I know that you found the map, and I know that you know where it is.”
Emmeline’s eyes widened in surprise. “How could you possibly know such a thing?”
“The look in your eyes when I mentioned your inheritance,” he admitted. “I do not need the paintings or the money if I have you, now do I?”
Emmeline shook her head. “No, you do not. I will take you to it, but it will take some time to travel. My absence will be noticed.”
