What You Propose (Anything for Love 2)

If Samuel left now, Anna might never discover the truth. Why had Selene locked her inside the tomb? Why had she stolen her money? How had Samuel discovered her name and previous profession?

"So, you are to blame, Monsieur Lessard. Mr. Danbury will not let you leave when he discovers you were the one who poisoned me and locked me in that tomb. He will be here soon."

Fear flashed in the skinny man's eyes. "I … I must leave tonight. I cannot stay here. It is not safe for me." His gaze darted to Selene. "Just tell her, Selene. Tell her it was you."

Selene's mouth hung open, and she snapped it shut. "Liar! Do not lie to protect yourself, Samuel."

Samuel Lessard shook his head. He bent down, offered his hand and helped her to her feet. "Selene wanted to scare you, to—"

"Liar!" Selene yelled, flying at her brother, punching and kicking him. He pushed her away, and she fell back, her arms flailing.

"Selene found your hidden money. She knew I had to leave here before my friends from Lyon came looking for me. And so, yes, she gave me your fifty pounds and in return begged me to hide in the stables and frighten you."

Frighten me?

All Anna could do was stand in stupefied silence and shake her head. What possible reason could Selene have for wanting to scare her? A few seconds felt like hours as a range of emotions flooded her chest: anger, confusion, relief. She sighed. Victor was dead. And she did not need to live in fear of an accomplice hiding in the village.

"Why?" The solitary word fell from Anna's lips though it conveyed sorrow and disappointment.

"You do not understand." Selene scrambled to her feet. "It was not meant to be like this."

"No. You intended to leave me in that godforsaken place." Anna thrust her finger towards the mausoleum. "I would have been dead come morning. Is that what you wanted?"

Selene sniffed. "Non! Non! I would have come back when it was dark. Then you would not have known it was me."

"Why?" Anna repeated. "I have been kind to you. I have tried to be helpful, useful with the chores."

Selene held her head in her hands and sobbed. "I could not help it. You were taking him away from me. I … I just wanted you to go far from here, to go home."

Samuel cursed at his sister, spitting each word as a snake would venom.

Taking him away? Did she mean Marcus?

"How did you know I'd used the name Marie?" Anna did not wish to repeat what Samuel Lessard had said about her being a whore.

"I heard you talking, read about it in a letter."

Anna gasped. "You read Mr. Danbury's private correspondence?"

"I did not have a choice. I needed to know who you were … to know of your intentions."

"You could have spoken to me. You could have made your feelings known. But instead, you poisoned me, stole from me, tried to—"

Anna stopped abruptly. The sound of someone hollering her name caught her attention. Four figures came charging out from the woods. Anna's heart soared when she noticed Marcus leading the group of men.

With an ear-piercing shriek from Selene and another blasphemous curse from Samuel, both brother and sister turned and fled, racing down the path towards the shore.

Chapter 21

"Anna!"

Marcus ignored the two frantic figures fleeing the scene. He could not tear his gaze away from the heavenly vision before him. Breaking into a run, he charged ahead. An overwhelming sense of relief consumed him, all the pain, fear and distress melting away.

Anna was safe and well.

He called out to her again — a cry of anguish to express the desperate need for her clawing away inside. She ran into his open arms, and he swung her around, hugged her tight until they struggled to breathe.

"I thought I'd lost you," he said lowering her down until her feet touched the ground. Blissfully ignorant to those looking on, he took her face between his palms and kissed her deeply. "I'm sorry for writing the blasted letter. I'm sorry for suggesting you should leave."