Page 69 of Choosing Her Earl at Last
“Help me!” she shouted, even though she knew that the groundskeeper was too old to take on an entire group of men. “He is taking me against my will to Dover and then to France,” she included as many details as she could so that even if no one was able to help her in that moment, they could pass the message along to the authorities. She prayed that the groundskeeper had not lost his hearing with age.
“All is well,” Norman reassured the groundskeeper as the elderly man took a step forward. “I am her husband. She is overwhelmed with the news of my return.” He waved his men over to deal with the elderly man.
Seeing that he was in danger, he slipped back into the trees and disappeared. Emmeline prayed that he would be safe and deliver her message.
“See what you have done,” Norman growled. “You have forced me to reveal my presence. You will pay for that.”
“I have been paying since the moment that my eyes beheld you on our wedding day,” Emmeline spat out.
Growling, Norman restored her gag to its proper place, effectively silencing her. He hauled her back to the carriage, where his men were waiting with Ezra, who was also bound and gagged.
“Take the butler back to London and free Rebecca Frampton. The butler can return her to her mother.”
Ezra, upon seeing Emmeline bound and gagged, roared in anger behind his own gag and fought to free himself as best he could. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful, as Norman’s men knocked him unconscious once more, shoving him back into the second carriage as they did so.
Mr. Hardy!Emmeline silently cried out in empathy as her trusted friend and servant disappeared from view. While she feared for Ezra’s well-being, she was happy to hear Norman’s command to release Rebecca and allow the butler to take her home. Any sacrifice was worth that outcome for Emmeline.
Impatient to be off, Norman lifted Emmeline up into his arms and placed her in the carriage on the bench seat. She noticed that the boxes of paintings that had been in the second carriage were not piled atop, and inside, Norman’s personal carriage. One of his men stepped in and took a seat opposite her, his face a sneer as he looked over her form, top to bottom, his eyes lingering on her chest.
Norman checked to make sure that everything was secure before entering the carriage, then took a seat opposite Emmeline beside his henchman.
“Make for the port at Dover with all haste,” Norman commanded the driver.
The carriage jerked forward immediately, causing Emmeline to fall over on her side, unable to keep her balance. Norman and his man laughed at her discomfort as she squirmed like a worm in the dirt to sit back up. Reaching across the carriage, Norman pushed her into an upright position.
“I do believe that I prefer you this way, wife.” He chuckled as he sat back in his own seat.
Emmeline glared at both men for laughing at her state of indignity.You will regret this,she silently promised him.You will regret the day that you ever laid eyes on me, Norman Livingston.
The carriage rattled on for a long time without stopping. Emmeline lost all track of time as she bounced along with every bump in the road. Even after the sun went down, the carriage continued on until the driver informed Norman that the horses needed a rest, or they would not make it to Dover at all.
“There is an inn up ahead,” the driver called down to Norman.
“We will sleep there for the night,” Norman answered, giving the driver permission to stop.
When the carriage finally, at long last, stopped moving, Emmeline breathed a sigh of relief. The longer it took for them to reach Dover, the better. Every moment that passed was another moment that she could be rescued.
Norman’s man exited the carriage, entering the inn to see if there were any rooms available. When he returned, he had a glint of something in his eyes that Emmeline did not quite understand.
“There is only one room available, Mr. G,” he informed his employer.
Norman nodded. “It is enough. The driver can remain with the horses and paintings, while you stand guard outside the room,” he instructed. “The marchioness and I will share the room.”
The man’s eyes held a brief moment of disappointment as if he had been looking forward to sharing a room. Emmeline’s heart beat faster as she began to understand the insinuation that had been in the man’s eyes. She looked at Norman as his words sank into her mind. He planned to share a room with her.
He had better not intend to share a bed with me!
“Yes, my dear,” Norman answered as if he had read her mind. “We will be sharing a bed once more.”
The henchman laughed as Emmeline shook her head vehemently.
No! No! No!
“The room is around the back of the building near the rear entrance. You will be able to enter without anyone else seeing you,” the henchman informed Norman, then stood back so that Norman could descend from the carriage.
Once Norman had found his balance on the ground, he turned and pulled Emmeline from the conveyance. Tossing her over his shoulder, he carried her around to the rear of the building, through the back door, and into the nearest room.
He set Emmeline down on the floor, then turned and shut the door behind them. He dropped the bar down into its wooden brackets across the door to keep any unwanted guests from entering.
